Three Reasons Hunter Pence could be next SF Giants manager

While things are looking up, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the SF Giants going forward. If things stall out, Hunter Pence would be a logical pick to be the team’s next manager.

The 2020 season was the first time the SF GIants did not have Bruce Bochy as manager since 2006. New manager Gabe Kapler finished the season strong, there were a number of concerning trends that could be problems going forward. If the team does move on from Kapler in the future, it could open the door for Hunter Pence to be the team’s manager.

While the Giants missed out on the playoffs by only a single game in 2020, many fans have placed the blame at the foot of manager Gabe Kapler. We all have our own moment where a Kapler decision to go to the bullpen backfired and left us with no trust in his decisionmaking.

There were many such decisions, but to be fair he did have some solid managerial moments. For instance, in an extra-inning game the Giants won against the Astros in August, Kapler seemingly made all of the right moves. Incidentally, the hero of that game was Pence, who hit a three run home run to get the Giants back in the game.

As we all know, that was more the exception than the norm for Pence in 2020 which led to him being cut by the team and to his retirement at the end of the season.

If the Giants fail to make the playoffs in the next two seasons and Kapler fails to win over a fanbase that views him with a wary eye, Pence could very well be the next manager of the Giants and here are three reasons why.

1. He is absolutely loved in San Francisco

If Pence ever were to be hired as manager of the Giants, it would be one of the most popular hires the Giants have ever made. He is absolutely beloved in the city of San Francisco and fans would instantly be behind him as the manager.

Look no further than Hunter, a day after his retirement, heading out into McCovey Cove to hang out with fans and sign some baseballs on the final day of the season. That is just the kind of guy that Hunter is; it’s not an act or a schtick, he is just a genuine, loving guy who is grateful for all the love Giants fans have given him over the years.

Pence would not feel the same kind of pressure that a fresh, unfamiliar manager would in his first few years with the fanbase like Kapler has. He would be given the benefit of the doubt for at least a season which would ease the pressure on him and may lead to better results.

Furthermore, it’s clear that he loves the city back. He made his affinity for the city and Giants fans known. With that in mind, it’s hard not to see him rejoining the organization in some capacity soon. Once he does, it’s hard to see his role within the organization not growing larger.

2. There is precedent

Last offseason, the Chicago Cubs fired Joe Maddon and replaced him with a Chicago fan favorite in David Ross. The Cubs made the playoffs after struggling in 2018 and 2019 and observers have generally agreed that Ross did a pretty good job in his first season as manager.

There would inevitably be those irked by the decision to hire Pence as a manager because they would feel it was a nostalgia play or because he would not have any head coaching experience. However, with the role of modern MLB managers, a role that has seen a large decrease in autonomy as more and more on-field decisions are dictated from the front office, experience seems to be less and less of a priority in favor of how well one can follow orders.

Plus, Pence wouldn’t be hired to help a rebuild, but rather, a team that’s on the verge of contention, but failing to make the leap. He knows that progression as well as anyone throughout his playing career.

One of the big reasons that Farhan Zaidi hired Kapler was because he felt that he would be a good pawn for whatever decisions he made in the front office based off analytics. While Pence’s play could be described as old-school, his focus on diet, staying in shape, and willingness to rebuild his swing in the winter of 2018 are all tell tale signs that he’s more than happy to learn whatever the newest trends are to help players (and teams) suceed.