Gabe Kapler

From SoSH

Gabriel Stefan Kapler was born on August 31, 1975 in Hollywood, CA. Kapler was originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 57th Round (1487th overall) of 1995 amateur entry draft (June-Reg). Prior to joining the Red Sox, Kapler was a member of the Detroit Tigers (1998-99), Texas Rangers (2000-02), Colorado Rockies (2003). He bats and throws right handed.

Gabe was appointed Manager of the Greenville Drive at the end of the 2006 season. He has now announced he is planning to return to his playing days in 2008, although a comeback with the Sox is unlikely because of the overflow of outfielders.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Trivia 3 Awards 4 Quotes 5 Transactions 6 External Links

Overall Career

Gabe Kapler was a utility outfielder for the Boston Red Sox through the 2006 season. Kapler has experience with all three outfield positions, spending the majority of time in right field. Kapler, who hits lefties very well, usually plays instead of Trot Nixon when the Red Sox face left handed pitchers.

Kapler left the Boston Red Sox for Japan's Yomiuri Giants after the 2004 World Series. He elected to leave for more money (a $2 million deal plus a $700,000 signing bonus, compared to the $750,000 salary he received from the Sox), and the chance to prove he could be an everyday player. After struggling and eventually being waived in July by the Yomiuri Giants, Kapler was immediately signed by the Red Sox after clearing Japanese Central League waivers.

During the Brawl Game on July 24, 2004, he was sucker-punched by Tanyon Sturtze. He responded in kind, opening a cut by Sturtze's ear. Kapler was ejected, though a subsequent suspension was surprisingly overturned. Sturtze was not ejected, much to Kapler's immediate disgust, but was forced to sit out for three games.

In mid-September of 2005, Gabe Kapler tore his Achilles tendon while running the bases on a home run by teammate Tony Graffanino, ending his season. Gabe is a fan favorite and recieves huge cheers from the Fenway crowd.

On December 12, 2006, after nine seasons in the majors, Kapler announced his retirement from baseball to start a managerial career with the Greenville Drive, Boston's Single A affiliate.

Trivia

• Kapler is well-known around baseball for his muscular body and weightlifting, and even was nicknamed "The Body" by Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan.
• Although happily married, his sculpted physique and male model looks has made him one of the top gay icons in professional baseball.
• Kapler 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.
• Kapler is a devout Jew, and has several Jewish-themed tattoos, most prominently a Star of David on one leg and the post-Holocaust slogan "Never Again" on his other leg. He has had nicknames during his playing career such as "The Hebrew Hammer" and "World's Strongest Jew".
• Posed for "International Male" catalog.
• Nominated for "most watchable" center fielder in 2001 by Outsports: The Home For Gay Sports Fans and Athletes.
• 28 game hit streak with the Texas Rangers in 2000.
• On August 8th, the Red Sox were playing the Texas Rangers. At the top of the ninth inning, Kapler was in the game, playing left field alongside center field replacement Adam Stern and third baseman Kevin Youkilis. Martin Abramowitz, president of Jewish Major Leaguers, hypothesized that this may have been the first occurrence of a Major League team fielding three Jewish players at once. (Gabriel Sanders, 1-2-3 Jews At the Ballgame, The Forward, August 12, 2005)

Awards

• 1996: South Atlantic All-Star Team
• 1997: Class A All-Star Team (Baseball America)
• 1997: Florida State League All-Star Team
• 1998: Double-A All-Star Team (Baseball America)
• 1998: Most Valuable Player (AA Southern League)
• 1998: Southern League All-Star Team

Quotes

• Second thoughts about going to Japan? "I have not had second thoughts," Gabe Kapler said. "I skipped right past second and have had third, fourth, fifth, and so on."

Transactions

• June 1, 1995: Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 57th round of the 1995 amateur draft.
• November 2, 1999: Traded by the Detroit Tigers with Alan Webb, Frank Catalanotto, Francisco Cordero, Bill Haselman, and Justin Thompson to the Texas Rangers for Juan Gonzalez, Danny Patterson, and Gregg Zaun.
• July 31, 2002: Traded by the Texas Rangers with Jason Romano and cash to the Colorado Rockies for Dennys Reyes and Todd Hollandsworth.
• June 28, 2003: Purchased by the Boston Red Sox from the Colorado Rockies.
• December 21, 2003: Granted Free Agency.
• December 22, 2003: Signed as a Free Agent with the Boston Red Sox.
• October 28, 2004: Granted Free Agency.
• November 22, 2004: Signed as a Free Agent by the Yomiuri Giants (Japan).
• July 15, 2005: Signed as a Free Agent by the Boston Red Sox.
• November 18, 2005: Released by the Boston Red Sox.
• February 1, 2006: Re-signed by the Boston Red Sox to a minor league contract.

External Links

• Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis