SF Giants fan-favorite first baseman lands coaching gig in the Bay Area

Former SF Giants fan favorite first baseman J.T. Snow just landed a new job. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Snow got a job as an infield coach for the Oakland Ballers, an independent baseball team.  

This should not come as a surprise given the fact that Snow openly lobbied for a chance to coach on Bob Melvin’s new staff in some capacity. 

Apparently, Snow did not receive a call back from the Giants. While the SF Giants organization does a great job of recognizing and taking care of former Giants, they likely felt that Snow simply did not have enough coaching experience to warrant a spot on the staff of a big-league team. 

SF Giants fan-favorite first baseman lands coaching gig in the Bay Area

Snow played nine seasons for the Giants from 1997-2005 and in 2008. If you do not remember that 2008 appearance, it might be because he signed a one-day contract to retire as a Giant. He dressed in uniform and did pregame warmups with the Giants before being removed to a standing ovation in a late-season game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The left-handed bat was a solid contributor for the team, especially on defense where he won a Gold Glove for his defense at first base each of his first four seasons with the Giants. In total, he earned six Gold Glove awards at the position and one of the few players to do so in both leagues. He also had some pop in his bat, eclipsing the 20-homer mark three times across 16 seasons.

Of course, many people will remember Snow for his heads up play at the plate in Game 5 of the 2002 World Series when he scooped up Dusty Baker's son, Darren, before he got hurt.

Snow has also been a broadcaster for the Giants in recent years during some of their road trips when an opportunity to do so arises. He has served in a similar role for the Pac-12 Network.

Perhaps Snow getting this experience as an infield coach increases the possibility that he could get an opportunity on a Giants coaching staff somewhere down the road.

Personally, I am hoping it occurs when Hunter Pence (my favorite player) becomes manager down the road and hires Snow (my mom’s favorite player) as his first base coach. 

While this dream pairing may be more of a fantasy than reality, it is still cool to see Snow stay involved with the game of baseball, especially in the Bay Area.