by Dr Lefty
So while we were busy watching the Astros win the World Series, the Giants were remaking their coaching staff. They wanted to keep it quiet until it was all a done deal. Hahahahaha, this is the age of Leaking Leakface Leakers, so we’ve known for two weeks now that the re-org was happening.
Here’s the latest, for those of you keeping score at home:
- OUT: 3B coach Phil Nevin, who apparently turned down one of those plum “special assistant” jobs
- “RE-ASSIGNED”: Pitching coach Dave Righetti, Bullpen coach Mark Gardner, assistant hitting coach Steve Decker
- STILL HERE: 1B coach Jose Aguacil
- MOVED: Ron Wotus from bench coach to 3B coach
- MOVED: Hensley Meulens from hitting coach to bench coach
- HIRED: Alonzo Powell, from Astros, new hitting coach
- HIRED: Curt Young, most recently with A’s, new pitching coach
- HIRED: Matt Herges, from Dodgers’ AAA team, new bullpen coach
- STILL OPEN: Assistant hitting coach
So let’s get to know the two biggest hires, Powell and Young.
Alonzo Powell
I knew Powell was, until Wednesday, the assistant hitting coach for the World Series champion Houston Astros. That means (a) he’s worked with some good young hitters and (b) he’s worked in an organization devoted to analytics. (This last is a theme.) I did not know that he actually started his pro career with the Giants in 1983, was a local boy (Lincoln HS in SF), and was traded while still a minor leaguer for Bill Laskey in 1985. I remember watching Bill Laskey on the Giants! (Former Giant is also a theme.)
Alonzo Powell
Curt Young
I remember Curt Young from that great A’s team that won three straight AL pennants from 1988-1990. He appeared in the 1988 and 1990 World Series but appears to have missed the 1989 series (the only one of the three that the A’s won) due to injuries. He was a pretty middling starter who won 13 games in 1986 and 1987, and he made a few appearances as a reliever in his twilight years with the Royals and Yankees. He has over 13 years of major league pitching coach experience, mostly with the A’s (2004-10; 2002-17) and one year with the Red Sox (2011). So like Powell, he’s been with organizations that were early adopters on analytics. He is not, however, a former Giant.
Curt Young now
Other former Giants recently hired include Matt Herges, who closed games for the Giants in 2003, and David Bell (director of player personnel, i.e., farm director), who played for the Giants during one very memorable season, 2002, winning the Wille Mac Award, and scoring the pennant-winning walk-off run on Kenny Lofton’s hit. (We were there!)
Awww, don’t look so sad, Steve Kline and Mike Matheny. You’ll be Giants soon. So will Matt Morris, who started that game for the Cardinals. On second thought, go ahead and look sad, Matheny. You’ll be watching Giants’ pennant celebrations from the other dugout in 2012 and 2014, too. Just letting you know now so you can prepare yourself.
Other Stuff
We should know pretty quickly about Johnny Cueto’s opt-out (or not) decision. With Tanaka deciding to stay with the Yankees, will that open up Cueto’s non-Giants market for him? I’m gonna say nah, he’s going to stay. We should also, hopefully, know pretty soon about whether or not 2017 Willie Mac winner Nick Hundley is returning. Other moves? Who knows? Stay tuned and stick with Crawfish Joe.
First weekend without baseball since February. Sighhhhhh. The AFL “Fall-Stars” game is on MLB Network at 5:08 p.m., though! Oh, and Gold Glove winners will be announced on Tuesday. Go Buster, go Craw!
I’ve worked out with GG that I’ll do one weekend post during the off-season, instead of the two I’ve been doing, so for now, Lefty out.