Zaidi has time to search for Bochy’s replacement
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. >> The decision was not all that surprising, but the timing of it couldn’t have worked out better.
When Bruce Bochy announced Monday that the 2019 season will be his last as the Giants manager, it saved the future Hall of Famer from a season of speculation surrounding his job security.
It also gave Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi a head start in his quest to find the franchise’s 37th manager.
Shortly after Bochy revealed his plans, Giants CEO Larry Baer said Zaidi will lead a search for Bochy’s successor. Zaidi insists it will be a collaborative process, but he’ll have the final say on selecting a manager for the first time in his career as a major league executive.
“There are going to be a lot of people who have input, there are going to be a lot of people who we’ll draw on their experience to bring names to the table,” Zaidi said Tuesday.
Zaidi has helped conduct a managerial search before, inn 2015 when he assisted Los Angeles Dodgers executive Andrew Friedman in the hiring of Dave Roberts. The new Giants leader learned valuable lessons during the process that led the Dodgers to Roberts, indicating that he now understands it’s imperative to begin the hunt without playing favorites.
“When we hired Dave, we had no idea at the beginning of the process that he was going to be the guy or that he would even be a finalist,” Zaidi said. “In my experience, the best way to wind up with the best candidate is to be very openminded and not go into the process with any preconceived notions or favorites.”
The Giants have had just three managers since 1993, and Bochy has already received an open invitation to join his predecessors Dusty Baker and Felipe Alou as a special assistant with the organization once he steps down. Though it’s unclear if Bochy will advise Zaidi in the selection of his successor, Zaidi said he plans to tap into those around him to determine what type of manager would fit the established culture.
“Within the Giants organization, there’s obviously a rich network of special assistants and people that have a lot of history in the organization,” Zaidi said. “So I think that group is going to be helpful in helping us understanding what the right type of personality or management style might be.”
While Zaidi said the Giants are in no rush to start
vetting candidates, he also indicated he might not need to wait until the offseason to think about Bochy’s replacement. Zaidi also said he doesn’t necessarily need to hire a general manager before choosing the Giants’ next manager.
Though no one has contacted Zaidi about the opening yet, he said that through the years he has made numerous contacts who have struck him as managerial types.
“I think everybody just by virtue of their own experience has a list of people they’ve thought of and said, ‘Hey that guy could be a manager one day,’ or if I’m in a position, that’s someone I could think about,” Zaidi said.
Zaidi vowed to be thorough and open-minded throughout his search, a similar approach he has brought to adjusting the Giants’ roster this offseason. Though several names will be floated throughout the year as potential successors to Bochy, Zaidi’s history as an executive suggests each candidate will be afforded a fair chance to impress him.
• A player’s ability to mash 60-mile per hour fastballs is hardly a predictor of success, but when games are still a few days away, batting practice home runs are still a hot topic at spring training.
One group of Giants hitters is off to a particularly impressive start.
Outfielders Austin Slater, Cameron Maybin and Mac Williamson formed a quartet with catcher Aramis Garcia during Wednesday’s workout and peppered the left field berm at Scottsdale Stadium with home runs.
The distances players reach during batting practice isn’t particularly important,
but the quality of the swings they produce is something coaches watch closely. And thus far, all four have stood out for different reasons.
Slater has overhauled his swing and is launching the ball higher and further, a critical development for a player who struggled to drive pitches last season. Manager Bruce Bochy said Slater is trying to avoid “smothering the ball,” and the early changes he’s made to his swing should give him a better opportunity to hit for power.
During a live session Wednesday, Slater crushed an offering from righthander Trevor Gott over the left-center field fence. It was the first and remains the only live batting practice home run in two days of camp.
Maybin also reworked his swing this offseason, spending three to four days per month in California with private hitting instructor Craig Wallenbrock. After the well-traveled outfielder signed a minor-league deal with a non-roster invite to spring training with the Giants, Maybin said he wasn’t focused on lifting the ball in the air but rather determined to make more solid contact.
Over the past few days, Maybin has driven several balls into outfield gaps but also appears to be getting under a number of pitches as he refines his new approach.
Williamson stands out for the sheer power he brings to the plate, but also because he’s out of minor league options. If Williamson doesn’t make the 25-man roster out of camp, the Giants must designate him for assignment.
The outfielder has said
he’s completely recovered from a concussion that cost him much of last season, and he’s helped prove that by making plenty of hard contact during batting practices. Williamson is still using the same swing mechanics he brought to spring training last year after working with private hitting instructor Doug Latta.
• Bochy said Wednesday that Buster Posey continues to progress well as he recovers from August hip surgery. Though the Giants catcher hasn’t experienced any setbacks while practicing this spring, the team will take a cautious approach, and likely won’t have Posey catch in a Cactus League game until around March 1.
Posey could play first base or serve as a designated hitter before the end of February, but don’t expect him in the lineup much during the first week of games.
• Right-hander Chris Stratton will take the ball in Saturday’s Cactus League opener against the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Bochy said left-hander Ty Blach will back up Stratton as the first reliever.