Back in November, when I interviewed Gabe Kapler after being introduced as the Giants manager, I asked him 'What kind of manager he liked when he was playing?' Kapler told me he respected consistency from his skippers. Now in his first season with the Giants, Kapler is making sure to infuse his players with confidence no matter how they are playing.
[Ads /]
"You remind them what they do well and you don't hit them with just one voice. So it's not just the hitting coach or manager, it's a group. We kind of call it a village approach and even when he's struggling you remind him of how good he is," said Kapler.
RELATED: Hunter Pence's return part of series of moves for Giants
Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski has enjoyed his manager's approach in the early going.
"It's really fun to play for a guy that's so invested in the team. He's invested in trying to have as many relationships with players as he can, with the coaches and having us have relationships with the coaches too and making it more like a family. It's impressive to watch him go about his business and it will be fun to play for," said Yastrzemski.
[Ads /]
Meanwhile, in Mesa, expectations are high for the Oakland A's. The Green and Gold are loaded with talent, coming off back to back postseason appearances and Bob Melvin says his stars are taking the leadership roles and running with it.
RELATED: Tony Kemp says he refused to take part in Astros' sign stealing
"We've got a bunch of guys like that. Whether it's Olson, Semien and they set the tone for how we do things around here. When you have younger players coming up or new players coming in and they go out on the field and you see how these guys work you have no choice but to work that way. It's great when your best players are the hardest workers," said Melvin.
Go here for the latest news and videos about the San Francisco Giants.
Go here for the latest news and videos about the Oakland A's.