Former SF Giants outfielder tabbed as general manager for Nicaragua in 2026 WBC

The 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) is less than a year away, and some key spots are beginning to be filled on each team's roster. On Thursday, Fernando Rayo of 8DeportivoTN8 reported that former SF Giants outfielder Marvin Benard was tabbed as the general manager of Nicaragua.

Former SF Giants outfielder tabbed as general manager for Nicaragua in 2026 WBC

Rayo notes that Benard is also serving as the team's hitting coach on Sandor Guido's staff. Nicaragua was a newcomer to the WBC in 2023 and went 0-6 in a bracket that featured Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Israel, and the Dominican Republic.

Nicaragua's roster was light on major league players, with veteran middle infielder Alex Blandino being one of the few players with major league experience. If that name sounds familiar, it is because he briefly played for the Giants organization in 2022.

Blandino was a glove-first infielder with a good sense of the strike zone. He joined San Francisco on a minor league deal with a camp invite. The right-handed bat did not make the team and reported to the Sacramento River Cats before he was shipped to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for outfielder Stuart Fairchild.

Catcher Rodolfo Bone is another player on Nicaragua's roster who had ties to the Giants. He signed as an international free agent in 2017 and played for a few seasons in the lower minors. Since then, he has appeared exclusively in the Nicaraguan Winter League.

On the other hand, Marvin Benard brings a good bit of major league experience to the table. He was a 50th-round pick by the Giants out of Lewis-Clarke State College in 1992. That round has not existed for years now, as baseball has consolidated the draft to 20 rounds.

Benard put together a respectable career in a Giants uniform, slashing .271/.343/.402 (98 wRC+) with a 15.4 percent strikeout rate, 9.0 percent walk rate, and .130 ISO. He served primarily as a fourth outfielder earlier in his career, but had several seasons as an everyday player. Benard's tenure with San Francisco came to an end in 2003.

Since then, he has pursued a handful of coaching opportunities and worked as a play-by-play Spanish broadcaster for the Giants along with Erwin Higueros.