Former SF Giants coach at center of controversy following leaked video

Former SF Giants coach Hensley Meulens is at the center of a controversy. A leaked video showed that the longtime coach was in the cockpit of a plane while the Colorado Rockies were flying from Denver to Toronto on April 10.

Former SF Giants coach at center of controversy following leaked video

United Airlines published a statement expressing their disappointment at the situation. They have reported the incident to the FAA and the pilots have been withheld from service while an investigation takes place.

The Rockies likely did not need any more negative PR but this incident has placed them in the center of attention. Colorado is off to a 4-15 start while sitting comfortably in last place in a tough NL West dvision. In fact, they have the second-worst record in the NL behind only the Miami Marlins, who have a 4-16 record.

Meulens appeared in parts of seven seasons in the majors, primarily with the New York Yankees in the early 1990's. The utility player also had a three-year stint in the NPB before returning stateside to finish out his career.

Meulens' pro career came to an end after the 2002 season, but he did not stay out of baseball for long. He immediately jumped into coaching at the minor league ranks.

The Giants hired Meulens to be the hitting coach of their Triple-A team in 2009. He was hired to be the Giants' hitting coach in 2010 after they parted ways with Carney Lansford. The Giants went on to win three World Series titles during his time as the team's hitting coach.

The 56-year-old was elevated to bench coach after the 2017 season. This role is generally seen as a stepping stone to becoming a manager and some believed that he would eventually succeed Bruce Bochy.

That did not come to fruition and Meulens' tenure with the Giants came to an end after the 2019 season. Since then, he served as a bench coach for the New York Mets (2020), assistant hitting coach for the Yankees (2022), and hitting coach for the Rockies since 2023.

Meulens has been interviewed for managerial vacancies in the past. Plus, he has some experience from his time as the skipper of the Netherlands during the World Baseball Classic. He is a baseball lifer. There is no doubt about that.

There is no word yet if there will be any consequences for Meulens following the plane incident. However, the issue seems to be more of a breakdown of safety regulations on the part of the flight staff.