Polarizing former SF Giants manager helps lure away valuable assistant coach

After the SF Giants lost hitting coach Justin Viele to the Texas Rangers, they have now lost their assistant hitting coach Pedro Guerrero to the Miami Marlins. Their hitting coach staff is going to see a bit of an overhaul.

This news comes via Andrew Baggarly and Katie Woo of The Athletic (subscription required). Guerrero's hiring comes shortly after the Marlins hired a new manager. They tabbed Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough to replace Skip Schumaker after a rough 62-100 campaign in 2024 for Miami.

Baggarly and Woo note that Guerrero has ties to Miami's assistant general manager Gabe Kapler dating back to their time in the Dodgers organization and when Kapler was manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. Giants fans need no introduction to Kapler after his polarizing tenure as manager of the Giants from 2020 to 2023. Kapler's presence in Miami may have been a key factor in luring Guerrero away. The fact that Kapler is even still in Miami is a bit of a surprise after Miami gutted its front office this season.

It is also a promotion for Guerrero as he is going from being an assistant to being a primary hitting coach now. That opportunity was probably just too good for him to pass up.

SF Giants lose their assistant hitting coach to Miami Marlins

This means that the only hitting coach the Giants currently have on their staff is former Giant Pat Burrell. Baggarly reports that the Giants only plan to hire one hitting coach to compensate for the departure of both Viele and Guerrero. He names Damon Minor, the hitting coach of the Triple-A affiliate Sacramento River Cats, as a likely replacement.

One other potential name that I have thrown out there is franchise legend Travis Ishikawa. He is currently the hitting coach of the San Jose Giants and would certainly be a popular hire amongst the fanbase. However, Minor certainly has more experience as a hitting coach and would probably be the more likely choice.

Nonetheless, this is a significant shakeup for the coaching staff. Most fans probably welcome this after a 2024 season that saw the offense sputter far too often and struggle to produce runs consistently. Perhaps getting a new voice in the mix is exactly what is needed.

Yet, the Giants are still losing experienced voices from their staff. These hitting coach changes come after pitching coach Bryan Price stepped down and was replaced by assistant pitching coach J.P. Martinez.

We will have to see if these shakeups garner better results in 2025 after the Giants struggled through another season of mediocrity in 2024.