The future for the San Francisco Giants may be looking up after the team fired their president of baseball operations.
The Giants franchise named Buster Posey, a former catcher for the team, as its new president of baseball operations on Oct. 1, according to an Oct. 7 Sports Illustrated article.
The team fired President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi after six years with the Giants because of the team’s disappointing results in the latest season, according to a Sep. 30, Yahoo Sports article.
I didn’t know much about Zaidi when he was hired, but throughout the years, I didn’t see any notable differences in the team’s winning. The team actually seemed to be declining with him after he took the position.
The Giants have missed the playoffs five times during the last six seasons, according to the same Yahoo Sports article, and their past glory is long gone.
The team’s most recent wins in the World Series were in 2010, 2012 and 2014, according to an ESPN web page.
I hold fond memories of the Giants because baseball was the only sport that I understood and enjoyed watching with my dad when I was little.
I distinctly remember their 2014 World Series Championship and my absolute joy when I saw fireworks go off right outside of my house as Posey and Bumgarner ran to each other for a hug.
The team’s winning percentage was .577 in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, according to a May 19, 2019 FiveThirtyEight article.
However, since then, the team’s winnings have slowly declined.
When Bruce Bochy left the Giants in 2019, it was even more controversial because it felt like the team would never be like it used to be.
Giants Chairman Greg Johnson reportedly appointed Posey to this position because he was looking for someone who could lead the team to winnings, according to a Sept. 30, Newsweek article.
Naming Posey as the new president of Baseball Operations is a fantastic idea because he is very passionate about this team and he was a player during their glory years.
I thought he didn’t have any previous experience with this role when he played with the team during the franchise’s best years and when he helped the Giants win the 2014 World Series with former Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner.
Bob Melvin became the team’s 39th franchise manager after 20 years as a Major League Baseball (MLB) manager, according to this Oct. 24, 2023 ESPN article.
In 2022, Melvin, who previously was the baseball manager for the San Diego Padres, led the franchise to its first National League Championship Series since 1998, according to a Feb. 22, Sports Illustrated article.
Melvin was a good option because he had a long history managing baseball teams, but when it came to the execution, it didn’t go as I thought it would.
He felt pressured after his first year as manager, and decided to leave after a tough season. He reportedly was not getting along with Padres general manager A.J. Preller, according to a March 8. Sportico article.
Melvin replaced Gabe Kapler, who was fired with three days left in the 2023 Giants’ season, according to a Sept. 29, San Francisco Chronicle article.
I originally thought replacing Kapler was a good idea because I never felt that he had a good connection with the team.
If anything, he reminded me of how sad it was when Bochy – someone who adored the Giants and rooted for the team because of his love for the players – left.
However, Melvin only managed to up the Giants’ win total by just one point, according to this article.
Posey is scheduled to be named the team's new general manager once Melvin’s contract is over, according to an Oct. 6 San Francisco article.
I think he will do a great job at picking a new manager because he, like Bochy, has a deep connection to the Giants.
He may already be thinking of two potential candidates; Thad Levine and Billy Owens, according to the same article.
This may be a good thing for the team who have had a rough couple of seasons. With Posey’s exceptional experience with the team, he may be the best person to replace Melvin.
