Giants: No matter what, Ron Wotus is a Forever Giant

While Ron Wotus is out of the running for the San Francisco Giants managerial opening, he will always be a #ForeverGiant.

The search is on as the San Francisco Giants search for Bruce Bochy’s replacement.

After casting a wide net in their search for the next manager in the early stages of the process, the front office has begun zeroing in on serious candidates.

As a result, it was announced on Sunday that third base coach Ron Wotus has been informed he is no longer in the running for the job.

At the end of the day, it is probably the wise move, as the franchise looks to head in a different direction following Bochy’s departure.

Still, it will be sad to see Wotus go, assuming he is not retained in some capacity by whoever does ultimately land the manager’s job. In much the same way it has been a little strange seeing anyone but Dave Righetti walk out to the mound when a pitcher is struggling these past few years, the Giants dugout will look a little different without Wotus in it.

If his time with the San Francisco organization is over, it will have spanned 32 years, including 17 years were as the MLB bench coach.

He worked his way up the system, managing teams at the High-A, Double-A and Triple-A level, before finally earning a spot on the MLB staff as the third base coach in 1998.

He was the bench coach for three different managers, which is pretty astounding considering most newly hired managers like to bring in their own bench coaches. That shows just how adaptable he was, and he was an extension of the cool-headed Bochy in the dugout during the team’s three championship runs.

Not getting the job has to sting for Wotus, even though he probably saw it coming. When you spend over half your life with an organization only to have them pass you over, it’s a tough pill to swallow.

Regardless, Wotus will be remembered as a Forever Giant no matter where he ends up. Along with the rest of the core coaching staff from those three championships, he deserves to be lauded for his consistency and ability to help cultivate the tight-knit locker room that was essential for those three World Series titles.

The decision to pass on hiring Wotus is just one more piece of evidence that the Giants are turning a new page and headed in a new direction. In truth, it is probably best for all parties involved. But Wotus will go down as a Forever Giant, and I hope to see him at those championship reunions over the next few years because he belongs there.