Former SF Giants infielder quickly shifts to Twins front office following retirement

Many people like to pursue hobbies or travel in retirement. Not Ehire Adrianza. The former SF Giants infielder quickly shifted to the Minnesota Twins' front office after announcing his retirement earlier this offseason.

Former SF Giants infielder quickly shifts to Twins front office following retirement

Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase confirms that Adrianza has been hired as an assistant of player development. Player development roles vary to some degree from organization to organization, but Adrianza will be working with infielders at all levels of the organization.

This is an excellent role for someone like Adrianza. When he was coming up through the Giants' system, he was often recognized for his defense at shortstop. That trait is primarily what led to him carving out a 12-year career in the majors.

The 35-year-old infielder worked primarily as a utility infielder, never amassing more than 366 plate appearances in any season. He did a lot of little things well. Adrianza could play multiple positions, hit from both sides of the plate, displayed solid contact skills, and was a quality baserunner.

This is a tough role to fill but he continued to get opportunities despite a below-average bat. In his career, he slashed .237/.307/.352 (79 wRC+) with an 8.2 percent walk rate, 19.8 percent strikeout rate, and .115 ISO.

Adrianza originally signed with the Giants as an international free agent out of Venezuela 2006. He debuted with the club in 2013 and spent four years in San Francisco before joining the Twins organization.

If anyone remembers the end of the 2015 season, it was a bizarre finish. The Giants ran out of first basemen, leading Adrianza to take over the position for one game without any prior experience. The end of this year also had former top picks like Nick Noonan and Jackson Williams returning, as well as Kevin Frandsen making his final stop in the majors.

Adrianza's time with Minnesota proved to be his most extensive experience with one ball club. He appeared in 311 games with the Twins spread over four years. He made stops with the Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles Angels to finish his career.

Adrianza played for two World Series teams. The first was with the Giants in 2014 followed by the Braves in 2021. In his final stop with the Angels, he attained 10 years of service time in the majors. Not many players can say that.

Adrianza was often recognized as a good clubhouse person as well. He did not stray too far from baseball with his first, post-retirement role and this feels like a good fit.