Highlighting 10 potential Giants managerial candidates after Bob Melvin firing originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey did a Zoom call with reporters on Monday, sat down for a press conference on Wednesday morning, and then taped an episode of the Giants Talk podcast. He has been bombarded with questions about his managerial search since firing Bob Melvin, and so far, he has revealed just one real bit of news: The Giants won’t be turning back to Bruce Bochy.
When it comes to anything and anyone else, reporters might as well be opposing runners trying to steal second. As they said for so long at Oracle Park, Buster ain’t having it.
“I’ve mentioned that I’m going to keep it tight,” Posey said in response to one query during a press conference with general manager Zack Minasian. “Sorry, not going to answer that.”
Managerial searches generally are mysterious in nature anyway, and Posey has a particularly good reason to be tight-lipped this time around. More than a quarter of the organizations in Major League Baseball are looking for new managers, and the same candidates will show up in multiple places. It’s possible that Posey will be competing with the Atlanta Braves or Baltimore Orioles, or someone else for his top choice.
For now, practically nothing is known about who that might be, although some close to Posey are convinced he already has a person in mind. The second-half collapse took long enough that Posey has had plenty of time to think about what’s next.
Posey said this week that age is irrelevant in this search, and experience can be viewed different ways. He shot down questions about specific candidates, but the perception from some who have spoken to him over the past month is that he likely will hire someone he is familiar with.
Posey is one year into his career as an executive, but because he played so long in the big leagues, that still is a long list. Here’s an early look at potential candidates and some of the new names you might hear over the next month …
Nick Hundley
The 42-year-old is a fit in a lot of ways, and Posey is said to be intrigued. Hundley is a former catcher and former Giant, having served as Posey’s backup in 2017-18. In retirement, he first worked for MLB and now serves as a senior advisor for the Texas Rangers’ baseball operations department. In that role, Hundley won a World Series, and he got an up-close look at the work done by Bochy, his former manager with the Giants.
While Hundley has no coaching experience, he certainly brings the type of personality that would be a breath of fresh air for a team that continues to go into second-half slides. A former Willie Mac Award winner, Hundley has plenty of fans within the organization, and he traveled to San Francisco last week to watch Willy Adames get the award.
Mark DeRosa
Technically, DeRosa already has a managerial position. In addition to his work at MLB Network, he’s the manager for Team USA and currently is preparing for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
The former big league infielder played for the Giants in 2010-11, although it was a rough couple of years because of wrist injuries. DeRosa should be a popular name this month and seems like an easy fit in Atlanta, where he spent the first half of his career.
Ron Wotus
If you’re looking for people with longtime ties to the organization, nobody beats Wotus, a team employee for four decades who has managerial experience at the minor league level and has been part of every staff since Dusty Baker was in charge. Wotus has interviewed elsewhere multiple times and also has interviewed to be Giants manager before, but he’s still waiting for that shot in the big chair.
Wotus has the respect of the current players and even knows the next generation from his defensive help at affiliates. He has such a strong reputation in the dugout that Melvin quietly lured him back to the bench at the end of the 2023 season, hopeful that he could provide a boost. Gabe Kapler made him the only holdover on staff after taking over for Bochy.
The 64-year-old currently serves in a bit of a hybrid role, working with Giants infielders and minor leaguers while supporting coaches and the front office. He won three titles with Posey when he was Bochy’s bench coach, and this past season, Wotus often watched games with Posey and Minasian in the front office’s suite.
Mark Hallberg
Nobody has more experience with Posey than Hallberg, who was on Kapler’s staff and then served as Melvin’s first base coach. The 39-year-old played with Posey at Florida State, and some around the industry view him as a frontrunner for the job.
Hallberg managed in the Giants’ minor league system before getting promoted to Kapler’s staff and he would bring an attention to detail and commitment to accountability that has been missing at times in recent years. He had a more prominent role in the dugout this past season, and while he’s short on big league experience, some of that could be mitigated by hiring an experienced bench coach.
Craig Albernaz
After letting Melvin go, Posey said he wanted someone who was “obsessive” about the details, the daily work that’s required, and getting the most out of players and staff. It sounded a bit like Kapler and his group of young coaches, who ultimately didn’t work out but still helped lead the Giants to a franchise-record 107 wins in Posey’s final season.
There are multiple coaches from that team — Donnie Ecker, Kai Correa, Antoan Richardson, etc. — who might get an interview somewhere during this hiring cycle, but Albernaz would seem to be the best fit for the Giants. He was Posey’s catching coach in 2021 and is extremely close with Patrick Bailey. Albernaz has spent the past two seasons in Cleveland as Stephen Vogt’s associate manager.
Rocco Baldelli
The former big league outfielder won the AL Central three times in Minnesota, but he was fired after a 70-92 season. Overall, he had a 527-505 record with the Twins, who went into a complete teardown at the trade deadline. The 44-year-old was named American League Manager of the Year in 2019.
Skip Schumaker
Schumaker is the heavy favorite to get the Rangers job. The 2023 NL Manager of the Year (with the Miami Marlins) spent this past season in Texas’ front office and has been viewed as next in line to Bochy.
But, if Posey is interested, perhaps he can make a stronger case. The Rangers plan to decrease their payroll a bit, although like the Giants, they do have a core already in place, and they have some intriguing young talent.
Brandon Hyde
The Santa Rosa native managed nearly 1,000 games in Baltimore, surviving a rebuild and leading the Orioles to 101 wins in 2023. Hyde was fired earlier this season after the Orioles got off to a rough start. He would bring plenty of experience, having previously served as a minor league manager and big league bench coach, as well. The 51-year-old was the AL Manager of the Year in 2023.
Rodney Linares
There was a time not too long ago when the Giants were obsessed with following the Tampa Bay Way. Former Rays exec Chaim Bloom was the runner-up to Farhan Zaidi when he got hired, and Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro was a finalist for the job that ultimately went to Kapler.
There was a good reason for all of that, too. While this was a down year for the organization, the Rays generally have done more with less than anyone in Major League Baseball. Their current bench coach, Linares, has spent years learning from Kevin Cash and should be the next to get a good opportunity elsewhere.
Linares also managed the Dominican Republic at the 2023 WBC. That team included a couple of young infielders named Willy Adames and Rafael Devers.
Tony Vitello
First mentioned as a possibility by The Athletic, Vitello has long been on the radar of some in the front office, per a source. The Giants also have loaded up on former Tennessee stars over the past year, trading for Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell and drafting Gavin Kilen.
The 46-year-old would be a surprising choice, but there’s no denying his credentials at the collegiate level. The Volunteers have made three College World Series appearances in the last five seasons and have won 72 percent of their games under Vitello, a Missouri native.
Some of the most innovative coaches in the country are leading collegiate programs, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see MLB teams turn that way in the coming years. This would be a risk given Vitello’s lack of experience at the professional level, but Posey certainly has the leeway to take a huge swing here if he wants to.
Really, that’s where this search is unique. The Giants have handed the keys to a franchise legend, and over 12 months, he has given out the largest contract in franchise history, stunningly traded for an even bigger one, signed a 42-year-old starter, and fired his manager just three months after picking up his option. Posey’s moves have been bold, and it wouldn’t be a shock if his next one is, too.
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