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The Boston Red Sox recently announced that Gabe Kapler will be the new manager of the Greenville Drive. Kapler takes over for Luis Alicea, who was named first base coach of the Red Sox this fall.
Kapler, who has nine seasons of major league service, announced his retirement Tuesday afternoon and was subsequently named the Drive manager. �I have been thinking about this transition for many years, and believe this to be the right time,� said Kapler. �This will afford me the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of young men, not only to help them develop as baseball players, but also more importantly, as human beings. The 31-year-old Kapler has spent part or all of the last four seasons with the Red Sox. He opened 2006 continuing to rehab from a ruptured left Achilles tendon injury in which he sustained while running the bases on September 14, 2005 at Toronto. The right-handed batter finished his major league career with a .270 average, 64 homers, and 302 RBI in 850 games with Detroit (1998-99), Texas (2000-02), Colorado (2002-03), and Boston (2003-06). After being selected by the Tigers in the 57th round of the 1995 First Year Player Draft, he made his major league debut with Detroit after being named as the consensus minor league player of the year in 1998.
Kapler belted a career best 18 homers with Detroit in 1999 before being traded to Texas in November of that year. In his first season with the Rangers, he hit safely in a club record 28 straight games and batted a career best .302. Kapler established major league highs with 134 games, 483 at bats, 77 runs, 72 RBI, 61 walks, and 23 stolen bases in 2001. He signed with the Red Sox as a free agent in 2003, appearing in 68 games the rest of the year. Kapler played in 136 contests for the 2004 World Champions and re-joined the club on July 15, 2005 after spending time with the Yomiuri Giants of the Japanese Central League. Overall, he posted a .270 average in 312 games with the Red Sox. Moreover, Kapler is known throughout the baseball community with his acts of charity. In 2005, Gabe and his wife, Lisa, co-founded the Gabe Kapler Foundation, which is dedicated to educating the public about domestic violence and helping women escape abusive relationships. This past year Kapler was named the Red Sox Club Man of the Year, for contributions to the success of the team and cooperation in community endeavors. �We are excited to have an individual with the character and reputation of Gabe�s, join our organization,� added Drive General Manager Mike deMaine. �His ability to lead our players on the field, as well as set positive examples in the community, should excite the fans of Greenville Drive Baseball.� Season tickets and partial plans, which make great holiday gifts, for the 2007 season at West End Field, �Ballpark of the Year,� are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling the Drive at (864) 240-4500. (Images provided by the Greenville Drive.)
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