Decision to pass on former catcher for manager continues to haunt SF Giants

The SF Giants have fired manager Bob Melvin and the search for a replacement has begun. The Giants must be regretting hiring Melvin over another former Giants catcher, Stephen Vogt, who has thrived as the manager of the Cleveland Guardians.

When the Giants fired Gabe Kapler in 2023, Vogt was reportedly interviewed to replace him. Vogt was green at the time, having never served as a manager before, but the Giants surely wish they had rolled the dice on the former Giant.

SF Giants regretting hiring Bob Melvin over Stephen Vogt

The rationale to hire Melvin made sense on paper after Kapler's firing. Political strategist David Axelrod has spoken about how voters in presidential elections often tend towards the "remedy, not the replica," meaning that voters typically vote for the opposite of whoever is in office at the time, especially if there is discontent with the president's job performance.

The same thing can apply to MLB managers. Kapler was of the new-school, analytics-driven mold. He was perfect for what president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi wanted, but after 2023 when the team had another mediocre season, there were reports of Kapler losing the clubhouse, and Kapler had become so divisive amongst the fanbase, he became an easy scapegoat.

Once Melvin became available, he was the most obvious antithesis of Kapler. He was an old-school baseball guy who commanded respect and could restore order in the clubhouse. Essentially, he was Bruce Bochy-lite which is what a lot of fans were clamoring for after Kapler.

Melvin was a known quantity, but there was not a sense of whether he could elevate the team. Clearly, he did not which is why he was let go.

The Giants were probably impressed with Vogt when they considered him in 2023. He is certainly knowledgeable about baseball and is one of those former catchers who everyone in the game assumed was going to manage someday.

Perhaps they felt that he would not command the immediate respect of someone like Melvin which is why they hired the veteran skipper, opening the door for Vogt to be the manager in Cleveland.

It was a fateful decision as the Giants went on to continue their mediocrity under Melvin while Cleveland has won the AL Central each of the last two seasons. Vogt was even named AL Manager of the Year in 2024 as the team made it to the ALCS and gave the new York Yankees a run for their money.

Now, the Giants find themselves looking for another manager.

Will they decide to go for a better "replica" of the old-school Melvin in Bruce Bochy, or will they instead opt for more of a "remedy" candidate like Nick Hundley?

Farhan Zaidi was the one making the call last time while it will be Buster Posey calling the shots this time around. We will have to see what path Buster takes, but the fact that the Giants passed on Vogt in favor of Melvin is going to haunt them until they can find the right manager to lead the club.

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