Zaidi anticipates widespread changes across scouting, coaching, on-field levels
SAN FRANCISCO >> With fewer than three weeks left in the regular season, the San Francisco Giants have taken the first steps in their plans to institute widespread changes across various levels of the organization.
First-year president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the organization has let go of 40 percent of the team’s pro scouts, many of whom played instrumental roles in helping the Giants win three World Series titles in five years.
Former Giants catcher Brian Johnson and former San Jose Giants manager Andy Skeels were among the scouts who did not have their contracts renewed.
The Giants opened the season with a 20-person pro scouting department, which was one of the largest in the major leagues. Zaidi said the Giants retained 12 of their pro scouts and fired eight, but he and pro scouting director Zack Minasian will hire at least a handful of replacements.
“We are going to be bringing in more scouts,” Zaidi said. “I don’t think we know the exact number, but some of that recruiting is already underway.”
Changes are likely coming to the amateur scouting department too where Zaidi said the Giants expect to have a “definitive
direction” within the next few days. Both departments are preparing to implement new processes that Zaidi anticipates will make the Giants’ scouting operations more efficient.
“Some of the mechanics of how the job is done are changing,” Zaidi said.
Zaidi emphasized that on-demand video has allowed the Giants to rethink how they’re distributing their resources and said scouting at the lower minor league levels, including the Arizona Rookie League and the Dominican Summer League, is becoming a higher priority.
Many of the changes Zaidi expects to make this offseason are behind the scenes, but there are also high-profile transformations on the horizon for the Giants.
Zaidi said he will not discuss specifics of the Giants’ managerial search to replace Bruce Bochy until after the regular season, but Bochy’s retirement will have a significant impact on the field staff.
Some members of the Giants’ coaching staff have indicated they plan to meet with Zaidi before the end of the season to gain clarity on their respective futures and Zaidi confirmed he will conduct exit inter- views with both coaches and players.
“I’m sure I’ll sit down with each of them individually,” Zaidi said. “Hopefully with all of our players as well. Kind of a little bit of an exit interview-type process.”
Outside of conducting a search for Bochy’s replace- ment, Zaidi indicated he still hopes to hire a general manager this offseason who will take a leading role in the front office.
“We’re going to put together a list of candidates and I would expect us to at least do some interviews,” Zaidi said. “Whether we end up hiring someone or not will be a question of if we find the right person.”
Many longstanding members of the Giants’ organization have lost their jobs or transitioned to lesser roles over the past two years, but Zaidi’s first full offseason with the franchise promises to feature even more sweeping changes throughout the organization.
With a record of 69-75 entering Tuesday’s game, the Giants must win 12 of their final 18 games to avoid their third consecutive losing season. Attendance at Oracle Park dipped to 26,826 for the club’s 6-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday, which was the fifthsmallest paid crowd in the two-decade history of the stadium.
The organization has prided itself for many years on continuity and stability, but the firing of general manager Bobby Evans and the hiring of Zaidi last year signaled the beginning of a new era for the Giants.
• Johnny Cueto looked like himself. Cueto needed 69 pitches to throw five shutout innings of one-hit ball against the Pittsburgh Pirates in an outstanding 2019 season debut.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in his pitching elbow, the right-hander returned to the mound at Oracle Park for the first time since July 28, 2018. Cueto racked up four strikeouts and only allowed two baserunners against Pittsburgh, both of which reached in the third inning.
• Giants closer Will Smith is still unavailable with back inflammation and could be out for the next several days. Bochy said that Smith has yet to throw off a mound since experiencing back tightness, which began over the weekend in Los Angeles.
• Outfielder Alex Dickerson (oblique) took swings in the batting cage Tuesday, and Bochy is hopeful Dickerson can pinch hit by the weekend.
• Former Giants reliever Kyle Crick, now with the Pirates, will miss the remainder of the season because of an injury sustained during a pregame altercation in the clubhouse Monday. A Pirates team release announced that Crick underwent surgery on his right index finger after reportedly fighting with teammate Felipe Vázquez on Monday. Crick was traded to the Pirates in January 2018 in the deal for Andrew McCutchen.