3 Manager Candidates the Guardians Must Target Next After Will Venable Declined

2. Gabe Kapler

If the Guardians are looking for a younger leader in the dugout, Gabe Kapler could be their guy.

Kapler is not as experienced or accomplished as Showalter, of course, but that's alright. He's two decades younger at 48 and actually played major league baseball in this century, unlike Francona and Showalter.

Kapler's had some success managing as well. He owns a .526 winning percentage in six seasons, including a .543 winning percentage in his four years with the San Francisco Giants. That run was highlighted by a historic 107-win season in 2021 that earned him NL Manager of the Year honors.

The Giants inevitably regressed during the last two years, but that was more due to natural regression than anything Kapler was doing wrong.

During his playing days, Kapler won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2004, so he knows what it takes to build a winning clubhouse and perform under immense pressure.

Kapler is known for his intense personality, which can sometimes be exactly what a young team needs to focus them and keep them in line. While he managed veteran teams in Philadelphia and San Francisco, Kapler and his managing style may be better-suited to a more youthful team that isn't already set in its ways.

He could mold Cleveland into a winner and give this team a kick in the pants after taking its eye off the ball in 2023.