New Giants manager Gabe Kapler has made an important addition to his staff. Reds assistant hitting coach Donnie Ecker will take over as San Francisco’s hitting coach, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune was among those to report. It’ll be a homecoming for Ecker, who Gonzales notes hails from the Bay Area.
Just 33 years old, Ecker’s a former professional infielder whom the Rangers selected in the 22nd round of the 2007 draft. Ecker didn’t get past the Single-A level with the Rangers, and he spent the final couple years of his career on the independent circuit, but he has carved a niche for himself as a coach since he last played in 2010.
Ecker’s an ex-high school and college coach who also worked for the Cardinals before the Reds hired him prior to 2018. They made Ecker their director of hitting before last season, and now he’ll try to help turn around a San Francisco offense that ranked among the majors’ worst in ’19. Ecker will replace prior hitting coach Alonzo Powell, who accepted a coaching position in Japan last month.
Along with Ecker, the Giants are adding Jim D’Aloia to the organization, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets. D’Aloia, who had been the Mets’ pro scouting director, will work in a scouting capacity with the Giants, per Puma. He was a major opponent of the Mets’ decision to include stud outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic in their trade for then-Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano and closer Edwin Diaz last winter, Puma notes. That reflects well on D’Aloia, as that trade has been disastrous for the Mets thus far.
Gabe Kapler is the best coach in the National League. The only MLB coach better is Mike Matheny.
WTH? then why didn’t he do great while Phillies manager
Kapler is the worst manager in baseball the Phillies are about to dominate the NL East now that he’s gone
I sense sarcasm
LOL
I think the book is still to be written on Kapler as a manager. What he has done is hire a very good hitting coach.
Thank you. He was under the gun the whole time in Philly, curious hire for a win-now franchise. Now he has a team he can grow with.
Wow, it sucks for the Reds to lose him. They just gave him a promotion after he helped players like Aristides Aquino and Josh VanMeter make changes to their approach and break out last year.
The reds had first crack at him. They hired another guy.
They hired another guy as hitting coach. Director of hitting, Ecker’s title he was given by the Reds this offseason, seems to me to be a higher position than hitting coach.
they fired him
Wrong. They fired drop n drive Turner Ward.
lol oops.
Giants hire a hitting coach? What they need to do is hire some hitters. This year, without Bumgarner and Smith, arguably their two best assets in 2019, this team might lose 120 games in 2020.
Giant fans support this team at the gate despite sky high ticket prices. Unfortunately, there ain’t nothing to watch in 2020. Giant tix are gonna flood StubHub. So much so that it will bring back memories of the ’50s and ’60s when a family of four could go to a baseball game for about $30.
Season ticket holders will be giving tix away because this team is gonna be so bad.
Troll.
Not really. Season ticket holders last year could not sell on the secondary market, so Giants agreed to buy back some of our tickets to remain season holders moving forward. Not a defense of Lou Orlando btw. He’s a POS
Troll ? This guy is spot on. Giants fans have been obsessing over Kapler’s hiring and the non-tender of a 4th Outfielder who makes too many outs ( Pillar ) .
None of that stuff is important.
In fact , it’ll be a few years before anything important actually occurs. Zaidi is in the first phase of a massive re-build. Frisco is gonna be god awful this year
Hahahahaha, ^ this guy! 120 losses?! Damn, did the Orioles or Marlins even lose that bad? The Giants with Cueto and the shark alone, not counting whoever they pick up for Bumgarner place I see about the same type of performance as last year. Hate the Giants much? Smh
San Francisco fans are gonna love Gabe Kapler because you folks love double-talkers and liars. Why else would you send Nancy Pelosi back to D.C. year after year after year!
Sorry, not gonna feed the troll.
ill bite
keep supporting an insecure bully who defends our enemies if it makes you happy comrade Orlando
“phony emoluments clause” ….OK
I wish the Reds would of kept him.
He really helped Aquino have an amazing year.
he had nothing to do with it. he hit like 30 bombs in AAA . guy was terrible. glad he is gone
Actually, he worked with Aquino before the season and what you saw from Aquino all season was definitely because of him.
Dude, you have zero idea on what you’re talking about.
Aquino was let go by the reds. No one took him. The reds resigned him and if you believe the papers Ecker started working with him. His homers in the minors and his incredible month in the majors are a result of that work. The Giants have a fine coach in Ecker.
San Francisco Opera is more exciting than the San Francisco Giants…
Can either of these guys hit or pitch?