The Giants recently signed veteran skipper Bob Melvin to a three-year deal, filling their managerial vacancy ahead of what could be a busy offseason. However, if they had not been able to woo Melvin, they likely would have hired either Mariners bullpen coach Stephen Vogt or Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza (per John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle). The only other candidates to receive an interview were Giants coaches Alyssa Nakken, Kai Correa, and Mark Hallberg, although the team also expressed interest in Red Sox player information coach Jason Varitek, Angels third base coach Bill Haselman, and Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley.
Mendoza’s candidacy comes as something of a surprise; he is seen as a possible contender for the Guardians managerial opening, but he had not previously been linked to the Giants.
After four years as a player in the Yankees farm system, Mendoza moved into a minor league coaching role in 2009. Over the next nine seasons, he took on various coaching roles at various levels before he was promoted to the big league staff ahead of the 2018 campaign. He spent two years as the infield coach and has been Aaron Boone’s bench coach since 2020.
More coaching and managerial news from around the Senior Circuit…
- Jon Heyman of the New York Post identifies Marlins manager Skip Schumaker as a potential target for the Padres – the team loved him during his tenure as a coach in San Diego – although it doesn’t seem likely that the Marlins will give him permission to interview with another club. The 2024 season will be the last guaranteed year on the skipper’s contract, but Miami has a club option for the 2025 campaign. Still, Heyman suggests the rookie manager might already be looking to move on; he is reportedly upset with the way the team pushed former GM Kim Ng out of her role. Ng hired Schumaker last October, and presumably, he planned on working with her for more than a single season.
- Heyman also brings up Pirates bench coach Don Kelly, dubbing the former utility player a “future manager” – although he doesn’t link him to any specific teams. In fact, Kelly isn’t planning to throw his hat in the ring for any of the managerial openings around the league. Following the recent passing of his father-in-law Tom Walker, he would prefer to remain close to family in Pittsburgh, where he has spent the past four seasons working under manager Derek Shelton.
Kudos Skip! Power is a mercurial thing. When you have it, use it. You might not have it later.
Skip going from SD to Stl To Miami like Will Smith back to SD? Hey uhhh John Mozeliak why don’t you give him a call? Wasn’t he Shidlts right-hand man in 2019? Before the cuban translator crisis fudged things up? Pardon my absence of French to mimic I don’t wanna be monitored
Baseball got a new curse? The curse of the ghost of Oscar Taveras….? Gallen, Alcantara, Arozarena, and Garcia? Wow, certainly Ruth material? In exchange for Folwer, O’Neill, Bader and Ozuna? Woooow yep baseball logic says thats curse material….
Or curse of El Bombi instead of the curse of the Great bambino? Hey what does Bombi mean in Español?
Hmmmm seems Bombi loosely translates to “both of them” so Arozarena was Lou Brock and El Bombi was Babe Ruth? Good to know? Send Curt Schilling to Arizona and Randy Johnson to Miami for Ozuna… see you down in Expo’d Arizona Bay?
Learn to swim!
The broadcast guys mentioned this in one of the games. Bombi is short for bombilla which is pump in English. Apparently the kids in his neighborhood compared his head to a bombilla, and shortened it bombi. You can fact check me if you’d like though. I can confirm the Spanish portion at the very least.
It’s good that the Giants got their guy. Without giving examples, he fits everything they need and want in a Manager.
Also Farhan bought himself some time, and the Ownership group saw that as well giving him a few extras years tacked on.
I look forward to the team to continue this mini reboot. And that’s what I’m going with. The Farhan Kapler era had me feeling upset and ready to move on from Farhan as well. But with Melvin there now, I will follow thru and see if they can turn this thing around. Still a lot to do, to get up there with the other 3 NL West Teams. Minus the Rockies.
We’ll See.
What exactly has Farhan done to buy himself time? He has accomplished nothing in 5 years and until he’s gone there’s nothing to be excited about as a Giants fan.
“He has accomplished nothing in 5 years”
That’s crazy a franchise record 107-win season (in a season where .500 would’ve been a miracle) counts as accomplishing “nothing” in your book.
That entire team was carried by players who were there before Farhan. If you want him to get credit for that one, then you can’t claim he inherited a dumpster fire.
@madbum
That’s actually a really good point if you ignore contributions from guys like Wade Jr, Wilmer, Yaz, Ruf, Donovan Solano, Thairo, Leone, Jose Alvarez, Jarlin Garcia, Littell, Wood, DeSclafani, and Gausman. Each of those players performed well or exceptionally, none of whom came from the previous regime.
So yes, while he did receive MVP-level contributions from Posey, Belt, and Craw, the team makes the playoffs even without those three guys. Each of Posey and Belt played in fewer than 115 games. They were very good when they were in the game, but you can’t carry a team when you don’t play in 30% of their games.
And look, it’s fine if you don’t like him. But if you just make baseless claims like he “accomplished nothing”, it makes it look like you spend more time complaining than having legitimate concerns about the team he puts on the field.
Certainly Zaidi has made mistakes, but to say he has accomplished nothing is hyperbole.
I hate Farhan more than most and I’m OK with this move as opposed to the alternative which would have been a no win situation with one year left on his contract. He could have potentially done more long term damage had he not been given the extension. I still think he will fail but at least he won’t leave as big a mess as he could have if he ended up trying to win or get fired next year. Another GM/VP could have been brought in along with Melvin but then we have to start all over and give that person at least 4-5 years to figure things out which may not be enough time for anyone. At least now Farhan has no more excuses and if the losing continues they can always fire him and eat the last year or two of his contract.
They will not fire him Greg Johnson won’t eat the money. This extension has set us back at least 5 years it’s horrible in every way. We’d be so much better off blowing the whole thing up and actually rebuilding like we should’ve after 2017.
So the youth they have coming through is no better than 2017 ?
The player development facilities and coaching personnel are no better than 2017 ?
The no albatross contract payroll flexibility is no better than 2017 ?
I get that doesn’t excite you, but the men who have more baseball business acumen than the average fan could accumulate in 10 lifetimes, seem to think he is doing ok.
Agreed.
Appeal to authority until they make the playoffs and do something. Sounds fun.
Keep crying then if you that’s more fun for you. No problem. I laugh at the ridiculous butt hurt commentary just as much as the next man.
Oh I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that I think winning is good. Much like you I enjoy losing in a scrappy manner with sub par players in an overly complex system. Hopefully we get more interesting bullpen arrangements in 2025 and 2026!
Don Kelly is a good guy. Condolences to the entire Walker family.
It seems to me that Kelly will be the guy in Pittsburgh if the Pirates get off to a bad start in 2024.
Why doesn’t anyone double check the hyperlinks? Better off just not linking them. Both Carlos Mendoza and Tom Walker go to people born in 1998 and 1999.
Happens all the time.
So because maybe 5% of links are incorrect, they should remove all of them?
Or maybe they should just proofread their posts instead of trying to be “FIRST!!!”?
Responsibility? Accountability?
Those are dirty words now, don’t you know.
I wouldn’t take any bilge that spews out of the New York Post seriously, especially if it’s coming from Heyman.
Let’s get one thing straight. The Marlins aren’t letting Schumaker interview with other teams.