SF Giants bring back a couple of familiar faces as minor league coaches

The SF Giants have not yet announced their organizational coaches at each minor league affiliate but at least two coaches have been confirmed. According to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area, Tommy Joseph will serve as the hitting coach for the Eugene Emeralds, whereas Jacob Heyward will become the manager for one of the rookie ball teams.

SF Giants bring back a couple of familiar faces as minor league coaches

Joseph was a second round pick by the Giants in the 2009 draft out of Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. A fun fact about Joseph is that he was a high school teammate with Giants 2007 first round Tim Alderson.

Alderson was shipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2009 trade deadline in exchange for second baseman Freddy Sánchez. On the other hand, Joseph was one of the centerpieces in the trade that netted Hunter Pence from the Philadelphia Phillies.

The former Giants second round pick was originally drafted as a catcher (and batterymate to Alderson). However, with Buster Posey firmly entrenched at that position in the majors, there was no role for him with San Francisco.

Joseph suffered multiple concussions behind the dish and his career was in jeopardy before he switched to first base. The 31-year-old blasted 43 home runs in two seasons with the Phillies and went on to play for the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox organizations.

The power-hitting prospect retired after the 2020 season and transitioned to a coaching role with the New York Mets. Joseph was a very good hitter as a prospect and has a lot to offer the Giants as a hitting coach in High-A.

Joseph will be joining Jacob Heyward in a coaching role. Heyward, the younger brother of Jason Heyward, was drafted by the Giants in the 18th round of the 2016 draft out of the University of Miami. Interestingly, he was the last remaining Giants draft pick from his draft class.

He registered a .230/.349/.387 line across six seasons with the Giants organization while reaching as high as Double-A. The 27-year-old was known for a very selective eye, registering a 13.7 percent walk rate as a pro. Heyward became a free agent after the 2022 season and quickly realized that his next job in baseball would be a different one.

Both coaches have a lot to offer baseball and it is cool that they will do so with their original organization. Of course, Heyward never played for another club, but for Joseph, it is a return to a team that traded him over 10 years ago.