CLEARWATER, Fla. — Gabe Kapler will gather his players — all 60 of them — next week on the first full day of spring training and deliver a message to open his first camp as a major-league manager. Kapler will ask his team to be bold and fearless and to play with conviction. And then the Phillies manager who is fueled by confidence will tell them one more thing.
“We can win,” said Kapler, the man hired to turnaround a team that has averaged 95 losses over the last three seasons. “It’s not like a delusional statement. It’s more like we all take that small step forward.