The Leadoff

Well, as we are all aware by now the chapter has closed on the San Francisco Giants former manager Gabe Kapler and it does not seem like many will miss him, including myself. Talk about a confusing four years. When Kapler first came on board, I thought wow, a younger passionate coach could be just the thing the clubhouse needs. An exciting fresh start after our beloved Bruce Bochy left. However, quite the opposite happened. Hope was temporarily restored in 2021 when they made the playoffs, but it was short lived.

I don’t know about you, but I have been experiencing a different form of Giants torture watching two former Giants skippers facing off in the American League Championship series and to make matters worse they are representing two Texas teams, ugh. I like Bochy and Baker, so good for them, but dang I wish it was still us out there competing! Envy, nostalgia whatever you’d like to call it, I am feeling it and I’m sure my fellow Giants fans are too. This should go without saying, but I am obvi rooting for Boch and the Rangers.

Adam and I would always say that Kapler seemed like a CEO of a tech startup in his interviews. He talked the talked, walked the walked and looked the part, but there seemed to be something missing. At times he appeared to be robotic, disconnected and ungenuine. For those who do not know this is his second time being fired as a big-league manager. The first occurred in 2019 when he was relieved of his duties with the Philadelphia Phillies after only two seasons. The Phillies are now back in the post season looking hotter than ever. I’m guessing it’s no conscience that a manager leaves then almost immediately after you have what seems to be the tightest knit most fun clubhouse in MLB some may even argue all of sports.

It has been 9 years since the Giants won a World Series. They last won it the year Adam and I got married and it was awesome! The night we got married, October 4^th, 2014, they played an epic 18 inning game against Adam’s old organization the Washington Nationals. It was the longest game in MLB post season history by time. I’ll never forget everyone checking the score and giving live updates during the wedding. We loved it! Could not have planned it better myself 😉  

With all that said, let’s get to the point and talk about who the heck is going to coach our Giants. I sure hope they get this right because otherwise our fall from grace will continue and things could very easily get worse. Afterall our division opponents are looking better than ever. Farhan’s ass is on the line and although I could do without hearing his voice again, I hope he rights this ship. So, without further a due, here are my San Francisco Giants manager prospects in no particular order.

Stephen Vogt – I really like the potential of him being the next manger. He is apparently the first external person the Giants have interviewed. He is a former Giants catcher and has played with several MLB organizations making him well versed. I personally feel like he has some good old school vibes to him, which I like and think a clubhouse needs. Shoot I think kids and the world in general needs more of that. He is not too old, so he has time to really delve into his possible role and be there for a while assuming things work out.

Joe Maddon – I’ve always really liked Joe Maddon. He’s got experience up the wazoo. He seems levelheaded, yet down to back his players and get tossed from a game when need be. He has been very successful with 2 World Series Championships and 3 Manager of the year awards to back him. The Los Angeles fired him mid-season last year and now he says he’s ready for the next “meaty baseball adventure.”

Matt Williams – would be a decent choice. He is of course a Giants legend and currently coaching with Bob Melvin down in San Diego. He obviously knows the game and San Francisco well. He has the old school vibes I think teams need and has managerial experience. Williams has experienced both success and disappointment as an MLB manager. He managed the Washington Nationals for only a couple seasons, so I wonder what happened there. He’s a valid pick, but not my first choice.

As for the internal candidates there are a few people the Giants have considered. First up is Kai Correa, the bench coach and current interim manager. People think of him as a mini Kapler since he was his right-hand man. I am sure he is a great guy and of course very knowledgeable, but no thanks.

The Giants made history this week by becoming the first team ever to interview a woman, Alyssa Nakken as a manager. I think it is a long shot, but still pretty cool and very noteworthy. Go girl! The Giants are so progressive. I mostly like that about them.

They also interviewed their third base coach Mark Hallenberg who I found out was Buster Posey’s old college roommate at Florida State. He got his foot in the door after Buster Posey put in a good word for him. He sounds like a decent option, but I think we can do better although wouldn’t it be cool if he somewhere got Buster involved? It does not seem like Buster Posey is into that idea yet, especially with his young family.

Another internal candidate is long time Giants bench coach, Ron Wotus. I enjoy listening to his post-game analyses. He really knows and loves the Giants. Wotus could be a safe pick with Farhan only having one year left on his contract, but also why didn’t he get the job openings beforehand in his younger years? hmm.

Bench Coaches – there are several good bench coaches from various MLB teams from what I gathered. I’m not too in touch with these potential candidates tbh, but it kinda seems like a crap shoot. I’m sure there are great candidates sprinkled in there, but I don’t know if Farhan can take that type of gamble. Do you know any good ones? Let me know!

Okay, hear me out…I have a few legit wild card picks to round things out…First up is Harold Reynolds, love him! He coached the futures games during all-star game this past summer in Seattle. I know that does not qualify him, but maybe he wants to coach! Have we asked him? Worth smoking it out, I think. Harold managed with Raul Ibanez, which would be another great option.  I feel like we need to shake things up a bit. Get a youngish, knowledgeable and well-respected person in there with old school vibes but not 75 years old. Okay, one final pick Yadier Molina! He has been coaching the Puerto Rican national team and has expressed interest in coaching with his former Cardinals team in the future. Let’s have a chat with him, wouldn’t hurt. I think a Latino coach would make a lot of sense these days. Give Yadi a shot!

There you have it, some of my picks for the next San Francisco Giants manager. I hope they take their time with this one and really consider all pros and cons. Should be interesting! Here’s to more Orange Octobers in the near future. Fingers crossed!