Ex-Padres manager makes almost too much sense as next SF Giants bench coach

The SF Giants know their next manager will be Tony Vitello, but now they need to fill out the rest of the coaching staff. One potential bench coach makes almost too much sense given his experience and his ties with Vitello.

Jayce Tingler was the manager of the San Diego Padres from 2020 to 2021 after serving as an assistant coach for the Texas Rangers prior to that. He had a somewhat forgettable tenure in San Diego as he led the Friars to a record of 37-23 in the pandemic-shortened season. He followed that up with a 79-83 record in 2021 and was fired after that season.

SF Giants have obvious bench coach candidate in Jayce Tingler

Tingler was not unemployed for long as the Minnesota Twins hired him to be bench coach under Rocco Baldelli which is a role he has held until now. However, with Baldelli out in Minnesota Tingler may opt for a different opportunity and a great one presents itself in San Francisco.

Vitello and Tingler were teammates together at the University of Missouri in the early 2000's which is why Tingler's name has come up in discussions about a potential Vitello coaching staff. There are other strong candidates for bench coach including someone with ties to the Bay Area, but it is important that a manager trusts their staff. That added familiarity Vitello has with Tingler may give him a leg up on the competition.

It is going to be important for Vitello to surround himself with people who have experience coaching in the big leagues. His lack of experience in professional baseball may cause some veteran players to view him a little bit skeptically.

Having people in his corner who have had to manage a bullpen and have had to deal with the heat and scrutiny that comes with being a manager over the course of a 162-game season will be invaluable as he tries to acclimate to a new league and new surroundings.

There are some other coaches the Giants should add to the staff. The New York Mets messing things up with Antoan Richardson could lead to a reunion with San Francisco. Mark Hallberg would make sense to reprise his role as third base coach and J.P. Martinez could be retained as well.

We will see how Vitello and president of baseball operations Buster Posey choose to craft the coaching staff, but starting with Tingler as the bench coach would make a lot of sense.