Potential SF Giants managers, from Stephen Vogt to Buster Posey

In case you missed the news, the San Francisco Giants have a managerial hole to fill, after firing 2021 Manager of the Year Gabe Kapler with three games left in the season. President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi has said that the team will move swiftly in hiring Kapler’s replacement, which makes sense: the World Series could end as early as October 31, and having a new manager in place for the start of free agency is a must.

So expect someone to get hired at some point this month.

Unlike in free agency, you cannot make a complete list of managerial candidates. There are simply too many options coming from too many places. So what follows is not a comprehensive list of people for the Giants to consider, and there’s a good chance that the person they hire won’t be on this list at all.

It’s just a list of some options. Some realistic and some not so much. It’s really just a list of some managers that are on my mind as the Giants look for the next leader to hopefully take them to championship glory. To separate them all and avoid redundancy, I’ve given each would-be manager a platitude. So here you go: a list that no one asked for, of some managers that you could envision wearing orange and black while leaning against a dugout railing in a semi-squat.

The favorite that you’ve heard of: Stephen Vogt

If someone offered me even odds on Vogt being a manager of an MLB team next year, I’d put a fairly large amount of money on it. Currently the bullpen and quality control coach for the Seattle Mariners, Vogt has long maintained that he wants to manage. In fact, when he played for the Giants, it sometimes felt like he viewed the Majors less as the career he wanted and more as training for the career he wanted.

Vogt checks every box. He’s a natural leader who has built strong relationships and been extremely well-respected at every stop of his career. He had a 10-year playing career that only concluded in 2022 and, if you count his coaching career, has worked for seven organizations. So if the Giants want a recruiter — and they do — you can understand the appeal of someone who has worked with a large population of the league’s players, and has been respected along the way.

If you recall his time in San Francisco (2019), Vogt always had the ideal blend of using and valuing analytics and maintaining some old school philosophies. Zaidi has stated that this is a priority, and Vogt seems like the perfect person to package new-school philosophies to old-school players, while making decisions that draw from both pools. It doesn’t hurt that he grew up an avid Giants fan.

He’ll be a manager for someone, soon. And I’m guessing a damn good one.

The favorite that you maybe haven’t heard of: Rodney Linares

Linares has flown under the radar relative to Vogt, in large part because his playing career stalled out in the Minors more than 20 years ago. But he’s long been viewed as a future MLB manager, and has plenty of experience. He spent a whopping 19 years coaching in the Houston Astros system, culminating in being their AAA manager, where he worked closely with now-Giants GM Pete Putila, who was the team’s Director of Player Development at the time.

As of a few hours ago, Linares wrapped up his first season as the Tampa Bay Rays bench coach, after a few years as their third base coach. Do coaches from the Rays tree have same level of success as players do? I’d be willing to bet on that. And regardless, I’m not sure there are any organizations who blend analytics as seamlessly and successfully as the Rays and Astros, so Linares should have a great feel for finding that sweet spot.

Linares is well-respected and has tons of connections: in addition to his lengthy coaching career in both the Minors and Majors, he was the manager for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic where he managed, among others, potential 2023 free agent target Teoscar Hernández, potential 2024 free agent target Juan Soto, and current Giant Camilo Doval.

He’s also bilingual, and the Giants have rightly stated a desire to find ways to be more inclusive for their Latinx players. Not needing a translator to communicate with those players sure would be a good step in that direction.

The recruiter: Tsuyoshi Shinjo

I almost didn’t include Shinjo, because I didn’t want you all to have to deal with the very painful thing that I just had to deal with. But I saw it, so now you have to: Shinjo played for the Giants in 2002.

I’m so sorry.

I’m not even sorry for mentioning 2002. That’s not the point. I’m sorry for mentioning that Shinjo last played for the Giants 21 years ago. Where have the years gone?!? I swear it’s only been a week since I left my cousin’s wedding early to watch the Giants collapse in the World Series.

Anyway, Shinjo would be a great manager for all the normal reasons: he’s a former player, he has managerial experience, he’s a genuine celebrity in Japan, his official name in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, where he manages, is “BIGBOSS,” and he has a successful modeling career. I mean, what more could you want?

But while I expect Shinjo to be a good manager at the MLB level for baseball reasons, there’s an extra reason at play here. If you let me play imaginary Giants God and sign any two available players this offseason, I would tell you my choices without having to even think about it: Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The former is the best player in the world by a sizable margin; the latter has had one of the most dominant pitching careers in NPB history, despite just turning 25.

Hiring Shinjo doesn’t guarantee signing either Ohtani or Yamamoto but ... my goodness it certainly can’t hurt.

The boring but sensible option: Mark DeRosa

I don’t think anyone would run around in excited circles if their phone alerted them to a Jeff Passan tweet reading, “Breaking: Giants hire Mark DeRosa as manager, sources tell ESPN.”

That doesn’t mean he’s a bad choice. A former Giant himself, DeRosa had a 16-year MLB career, is currently a studio analyst, and earned high praise for his leadership and coaching chops in leading Team USA to a narrow championship-game loss in the 2023 WBC.

He’s a leader, he’s respected, he has connections all over the league — especially with the stacked Team USA roster (maybe he could convince Mike Trout to waive his no-trade clause to join San Francisco?) — and his analysis on MLB Network suggests he has a healthy respect for analytics while still valuing a feel for the game.

There’s nothing to dislike about him, even if it’s not the most exciting option.

The guy who paid his dues: Ron Wotus

Giants fans would love if Wotus were hired. That doesn’t mean it’s the right move; that’s just an anecdote.

Wotus may be cut from an old-school cloth, but the front office clearly respects him, as evidenced by the fact that they kept him on staff even after making nearly an entire line change of coaches ... and then re-hired him in 2022 after a retirement that only lasted a few months.

On the one hand, Wotus has worked in the organization for 26 years, so he’s earned his stripes and learned a lot. On the other hand, he hasn’t been hired as a manager by anyone in that time, which may be telling.

The “oh, wait, Bob Melvin isn’t actually available” option: Craig Counsell

Melvin gained a lot of steam as an option, given that he’s blended analytics with traditional thinking better than almost any other manager, is well-respected, and has a history with Zaidi dating back to the Oakland A’s. When I started this article on Tuesday, I had him listed as the favorite.

And then on Wednesday the San Diego Padres confirmed that, despite smoke, Melvin would not be fired. So it seems he’s off the board.

Counsell, however, is still on it. He’s set to become a free agent as soon as the Milwaukee Brewers’ season ends, and while the team has expressed a desire to re-sign him, he’s made it clear that he’ll explore options. He’s one of the better managers in the league, and seems to be a true magician with pitchers ... despite being an infielder during his 16-year playing career that somehow only wrapped up in 2011.

The sentimental pick: Dusty Baker

Like Counsell, Baker will become a free agent when his Houston Astros are eliminated or hoist a second-straight trophy.

I’m guessing that hiring a 74 year old isn’t the Giants ideal plan. But despite having been around professional baseball for centuries, Baker has shown an ability to work beautifully with analytics, as evidenced by the fact that he was hired by Houston (while Putila was their Assistant GM), and has thrived there.

We know he can manage personalities well. We know he can make good decisions. We know he’s a respected manager who will do well as a recruiter. We don’t know if he’d want to return to San Francisco or if they’d want to hire someone who probably only has a few years of managing remaining before calling it a career.

The extremely-improbable sentimental pick: Bruce Bochy

There is certainly an irony in the fact that the Giants kind of forced Bochy out the door when Zaidi arrived, and now, fresh off of firing Kapler, have outlined a managerial search that could serve as the dictionary definition for Bochy.

Respected? Check.

Good personality manager? Check.

Players want to play for him? Check.

Strong gut feeling but a willingness to incorporate analytics? Check.

With the exception of his age (and thus not knowing how long he’d stay), it’s hard to imagine a better manager for the Giants than Bochy. It’s also extremely unlikely that they’d get him. He’s under contract with the Rangers for 2024, has done very well there this year (so no chance of being fired), and has the joy of coaching a clear World Series contender.

Bochy is respected enough that I suspect if he told the Rangers he wanted to return to San Francisco, they would let him resign, or perhaps work out a trade. But it seems nearly impossible that he would want to leave such a good team to return to an unproven squad that somewhat mercilessly showed him the door. And I doubt the Giants would untuck their tail long enough to ask.

The dream: Buster Posey

There’s no indication that Posey wants to manage. But I suspect that if he called Zaidi and said he’d like to interview for the position, Zaidi’s response would be to reject the interview and jump straight to the contract.

You can never know how someone will do as a manager until you see them manage, but Posey clearly has an 80-grade Future Value as a manager. He thrived under, and built strong relationships with both the old-school Bochy and the new-school Kapler. He has a strong working relationship with Zaidi. He is a nearly flawless manager of personalities, and it’s not a coincidence that Kapler’s “let the players police themselves” philosophy led to a franchise record in wins the one year that Posey played, and three seasons without a winning record in the years that Posey didn’t play.

Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner — as opposite of personalities as exist — will rarely ever talk about themselves, but won’t stop gushing if asked about Posey. He remains one of the most respected people in the sport, even in his retirement.

Outside of “managerial experience,” Posey checks every box imaginable for the Giants. Well, outside of “managerial experience” and, potentially, “a desire to do the job.”

I doubt Posey wants to manage. He retired in large part to escape the grind of the baseball season. Still, there are reasons for hope. He moved back to the Bay Area this year, and took on a much more hands-on role than was described or expected when he joined the organization in a suit-wearing role back in 2021. Still, being involved without ever having to leave the city is a lot different than being involved in a traveling and game preparation capacity. I’d be surprised — but thrilled — if Posey wants to manage.

The secondary dream: Brandon Crawford

Look, I’m still feeling emotional, OK?

The hard sell: Kai Correa

The optics of hiring Correa would not be good. When I floated the idea on Twitter shortly after Kapler was fired, the fanbase revolted. It’s understandable, as Correa has developed a reputation as being a mini-Kapler.

I’m not sure that’s a fair reputation, however. Correa played a huge role in starting to turn the defense around and, by all measures, seems to have formed better relationships in the clubhouse than Kapler did. We shouldn’t assume that his managerial decisions would mirror Kapler’s just because they worked together.

I think Correa would be a really good manager. But between the optics — both internally and externally — and the fact that he hasn’t been around long enough to play much of a role as a recruiter, it doesn’t seem likely.

The “call back in a few years” option: Jacob Heyward

If you were to tell me that the Giants would hire Baker, let him manage for three or four years until he retires, and then hire someone else, it would be impossible to predict who that “someone else” would be. But I know who my guess would be: Heyward.

In case you’re not familiar with Heyward’s story, here’s the short version. The brother of five-time Gold Glove winner and current Dodger Jason Heyward — one of the most respected leaders in the Majors — Jacob was a 2016 draft pick by the Giants, who played in their Minor League system until last year. The Giants were so enamored with Heyward’s leadership that they kept him as a player long after it was clear that he wasn’t going to make it (he spent three seasons in AA, bookending the lost pandemic season).

After hanging up his cleats, Heyward told the Giants that he wanted to manage, and they made a space for him as a fundamentals coach during last offseason. But shortly after, there was a departure in the system, which led to an opening, and before Heyward had started his first coaching job he’d been promoted to the manager of their Arizona Complex League Orange team.

One year of managing rookie ball is not enough experience to make a 28 year old an MLB manager and, while Heyward has a very respected baseball family, I suspect free agents would be a tad skeptical of signing with a team managed by an unproven skipper who is younger than they are.

But everyone — including the Giants — seems confident that he’ll be a manager one day. It’s just a matter of when, and with what team.

Let’s circle back the next time the Giants have an opening.