One darkhorse candidate the SF Giants shoulder consider as their next hitting coach

In a bit of a surprise, the SF Giants have a vacancy on their coaching staff, as hitting coach Hunter Mense departed to join the Kansas City Royals' coaching staff. To fill that vacancy, they should circle back to Donnie Ecker if he is available.

The change means that the Giants will have a new top hitting coach for the third straight season. Pat Burrell filled that role for three seasons, beginning in 2023. Mense took over for the 2026 campaign.

Mense has longstanding ties with Giants manager Tony Vitello, so it felt like a match as soon as Vitello was hired. That partnership with the Giants proved to be short-lived.

Who will the Giants have take over that role? We highlighted three coaches who could take over for Mense.

The SF Giants should consider bringing back Donnie Ecker as part of a succession plan

Oscar Bernard remains the lone hitting coach on the staff. He has served in an assissant role for the past couple of seasons. Presumably, he could be a candidate to be elevated to the top hitting coach.

Last offseason, the Giants rebuilt the offensive side of their player development. They brought in new hitting coaches at three of the top affiliates. This includes Mike Marjama at Low-A, Braxton Lee at High-A, and Tommy Everidge at Double-A.

They had success up and down the farm system on offense, and the hitting coaches deserve credit. In particular, nearly every position player who began the year with the Richmond Flying Squirrels strung together a strong season at the plate in a tough Eastern League before earning a promotion to Triple-A. In an interview with Alex Pavlovic on the Giants Talk Podcast, Jonah Cox was quick to praise Everidge for helping him break out as a prospect.

On the other hand, the Giants could bring back an old friend. Donnie Ecker served as two seasons as the Giants' hitting coach, and they have seemingly been trying to fill that void since then. It just so happens that Ecker's final season with the Giants was also Buster Posey's final year before retiring and eventually taking over the front office.

Ecker joined Bruce Bochy's staff as an offensive coordinator and bench coach for three seasons before his tenure came to an end in 2025. He latched on with the Baltimore Orioles as a bench coach when Craig Albernaz took over and remains in that role.

It is often difficult to get coaches to make moves, especially this late in the offseason. However, Ecker is local to the Bay Area, having attended Los Altos High School in the early 2000's.

Bringing Ecker in as a hitting coach would require the Giants to think outside the box. In a sense, going from a bench coach to a hitting coach would often be viewed as a demotion. Bench coaches are usually viewed as managers-in-training, and it feels like Ecker's chance to manage will come someday soon.

The Giants could sweeten the deal by bringing him in as a hitting coach and associate head coach. That latter role would expand his responsibilities beyond hitting.

That type of role would also create a succession plan. If things do not turn around by the end of next season, Tony Vitello, along with the front office, will be on the hot seat. That could lead to a change at manager, with someone like Ecker who could slot right into place.

Admittedly, the same could be said for Craig Albernaz and the Baltimore Orioles after a disappointing 2026 season. If they continue down this path, they could look to make major changes as well. Joining the Giants as a hitting coach and associate manager could be an avenue for Ecker to avoid being part of those major changes in Baltimore.

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