With the Giants facing a critical offseason, one of the top priorities will be building out the coaching staff under newly hired manager Bob Melvin.
Melvin joined NBC Sports Bay Area’s Laura Brett on the latest episode of the “Giants Talk” podcast, where he hinted at the possibility of looking to add coaches with previous ties to the organization to his new staff in San Francisco.
“We’re trying to get the coaching staff together here,” Melvin told Brett. “We’re trying to bring some local flavor to it as well. Maybe some former Giants will show up. So that’s the focus now.”
Melvin made a point to state his desire to hire Matt Williams, the Giants’ longtime third baseman, as coach after the latter served on his staff in Oakland and the last two seasons with the San Diego Padres.
“Today is November 1st, and a lot of contracts expire today,” Melvin Laura Brett said. “So today we can reach out to some people who may have been under contract elsewhere. I know Matt Williams comes to mind, and he’s someone that would be very important for us to bring onto this staff, and I’m hoping that’s the case.”
Williams spent two seasons as manager of the Washington Nationals in 2014 and 2015 and served as Melvin’s third base coach in multiple stops.
More importantly, Williams has the Bay Area roots that Melvin prioritized after spending a decade as a local icon with the Giants from 1987-96.
Melvin then explained why he believes those relationships with the region and organization are vital when filling out the staff tasked with helping turn the franchise around.
“I want guys to understand the history of the Giants, and a lot of guys who grew up in the Bay Area do,” Melvin said. “I also want continuity in the organization because you have to believe that when you’re in a good organization, there’s a chance to get to the big leagues. Normally, in Oakland, how we did that was if we had an open coaching position,” he said, coming from within the system. He created a really good organization where everyone was together, and everyone knew there was a certain way to do it, a special way to do it, just like there is a Giants way to do it.”
The Giants’ new manager made it clear that there is no exact blueprint for filling the coaching staff, but the most important thing is to maintain a balanced approach that includes outside hires while also providing the opportunity for promotion from within the organization.
“So there has to be a balance,” Melvin said. “I’m a newcomer. There’s going to be some people that are important to me that I’m going to bring in from the outside. But I also want to promote from within, and hopefully there will be some carryover coaches, but hopefully there’s at least one coach in the system that you’ll see in the big leagues as well. So there’s a bit of a balance.”
Melvin joins the Giants with 20 years of experience as a major league manager, and his lengthy resume and first-hand knowledge are sure to be invaluable as he fills out his staff ahead of one of the most important seasons in franchise history.
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