Former SF Giants catcher Tim Federowicz announces retirement

A former SF Giants catcher has decided to hang up his spikes. Longtime veteran backstop Tim Federowicz announced his retirement on Tuesday after eight seasons and he indicated that he will transition to a key role in player development.

Former SF Giants catcher Tim Federowicz announces retirement

Federowicz will become the next manager for the Tacoma Rainiers, which is the Seattle Mariners' Triple-A affiliate. Catchers often make superb managers as Giants fans know given that Bruce Bochy came up as a catcher and was a manager for 25 seasons, including a 13-year run with the Giants that started back in 2007.

For Federowicz, this closes out a chapter that began in 2008 when he was selected in the seventh round by the Boston Red Sox out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Interestingly, the duration of his pro career mirrored Buster Posey's career in that they both began in 2008 and came to a conclusion in 2021.

The 34-year-old appeared in parts of eight seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Giants, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, and the Texas Rangers. He played with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in 2021, but he was not promoted to the major-league roster.

Throughout his career, the right-handed bat slashed .192/.241/.328 (54 OPS+) with 12 home runs, 39 RBI, and 31 runs scored while typically working as a team's third catcher. That said, his most success at the plate came during his brief stint with the Giants as he blasted two home runs in 13 at-bats back in 2017.

He does have an interesting footnote in Giants history as he connected former outfielder Mac Williamson with Doug Latta, who was the hitting coach that helped Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner turn his career around.

Williamson saw a lot of early success with the changes Latta recommended as he swatted three home runs in five games following a promotion in 2018. That success came to an abrupt end as Williamson suffered a career-altering concussion and he was never able to regain that form that Giants fans briefly saw that season.

The fact that Federowicz immediately transitioned into a manager role in Triple-A suggests that he is highly-regarded in the coaching circles. If he sees any level of success in Tacoma, it is likely that he will be on a major league coaching staff in no time. Around the Foghorn would like to congratulate him on his retirement and we wish him success in his new role.