Bruce Bochy is the Greatest San Francisco Giants Manager

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 04: Manager Bruce Bochy #15 of the San Francisco Giants stands on the field before their game against the Seattle Mariners at AT&T Park on April 4, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 04: Manager Bruce Bochy #15 of the San Francisco Giants stands on the field before their game against the Seattle Mariners at AT&T Park on April 4, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

With news that San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy will retire from coaching after the 2019 season, this much is clear: he is the greatest manager in San Francisco Giants history.

There is simply no disputing this. I am reluctant to say he is the greatest manager in franchise history because New York Giants manager John McGraw wasn’t so bad himself back in the early 20th century.

But since the team moved to San Francisco in 1958, no man has steered the ship straighter than Bochy has.

The numbers do not lie. First off, three world championships in three appearances. It’s tough to make it to one World Series, let alone make it to three and win all of them in a span of five years.

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Those three championships in the span of five years will be an anomaly that will perplex baseball historians in the future. Yet they will look at the few constants through those three runs: Bruce Bochy at the helm, Buster Posey behind the plate, and Madison Bumgarner on the mound.

They will be stunned at his ability to make seemingly all of the right moves at the right time. Sure, luck plays into some of that success, but you would be either outrageous or in denial to chalk all of Bochy’s brilliance up to luck.

We are all aware that every other manager with three championships or more is in Cooperstown. It is essentially without doubt that Bruce Bochy will find himself there one day. I am excited to see him inducted because beyond his managerial prowess, the way he carries himself is something to behold.

His even-keel nature (except when it comes to a bad call) undoubtedly influenced the laidback culture that was key for all three championship runs.

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As the game moves towards younger, more analytical minded coaches, it is possible that Bochy could be one of the last of his breed: a manager that goes by his gut more than anything else.

We can debate whether that is a good development in the game or not, but this much is clear: Bruce Bochy’s gut has served him well and has made him, without question, the greatest manager the San Francisco Giants have ever had.