Dodgers Hire Gape Kapler as Director of Player Development, Add Gasparino as Amateur Scouting Director

The Dodgers have announced the hiring of Gape Kapler as the new director of player development. Billy Gasparino is also being hired on as director of amateur scouting. The Dodgers announced the hirings on Friday afternoon. The club is in the midst of a vast front office restructuring.

Kapler the 12-year MLB veteran was working as television color analyst at Fox Sports 1. If you remember Kapler actually was a spring training NRI back in 2011 for the Dodgers during his playing days. But Kapler never made the opening day active roster. He retired from playing not long after.

Gasparino was the Padre’s director of scouting from 2012-2014. Gasparino was also a player spending some time in the minor leagues with the Colorado Rockie organization.

Here’s the official press release from the Dodgers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers today announced the front office additions of Gabe Kapler as Director, Player Development and Billy Gasparino as Director, Amateur Scouting. Dodger President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman made the announcement.

A 12-year Major League veteran, Kapler joins the Dodgers after most recently working as a baseball analyst for Fox Sports 1. Prior to his television career, Kapler was a big league outfielder for the Tigers (1998-99), Rangers (2000-02), Rockies (2002-03), Red Sox (2003-06), Brewers (2008) and Rays (2009-10), winning a World Series with Boston in 2004. He briefly retired following the 2006 season and managed Boston’s Single-A affiliate, the Greenville Drive, in 2007 before resuming his playing career in 2008 and playing three more big league seasons. A Los Angeles native, Kapler appeared in a Dodger uniform as a non-roster invitee during 2011 Spring Training, but never played in a regular-season game with the club.

Kapler attended Taft High School in Woodland Hills before earning a scholarship to Cal State-Fullerton, where he played one season before transferring to Moorpark College.

Gasparino joins the Dodgers after four seasons with the Padres as the club’s Director of Scouting (2012-14) and National Crosschecker (2010-12). Previously, he worked for the Blue Jays, originally joining Toronto as an area scout covering Southern California from 2004-06 before being promoted to national crosschecker in 2007. He got his start in baseball as an intern with the Cleveland Indians in 2003.

An infielder during his playing career, Gasparino was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 17th round of the 1999 First-Year Player Draft out of Oklahoma State University and spent one season in their minor league system with Single-A Portland.