SF Giants News: Veteran minor leaguer retires, joins White Sox organization as coach

The SF Giants had a chaotic stretch of baseball in the first month of the season as they dealt with injuries and a COVID outbreak. This provided an opportunity for Jason Krizan, who very much deserved a chance, to make his major league debut after 11 seasons in the minors. Krizan's playing career has come to a close as he was recently announced as a coach in the Chicago White Sox organization.

SF Giants News: Veteran minor leaguer retires, joins White Sox organization as coach

Krizan is set to become a hitting coach for the Winstom-Salem Dash, which is the High-A affiliate for the White Sox. The Dash will be managed by veteran catcher Guillermo Quiroz, who spent his last two seasons with San Francisco in 2013 and 2014.

For Krizan, this closes a chapter of his playing career that began in 2011 as he was selected in the eighth round by the Detroit Tigers out of Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, Texas.

The left-handed bat spent his first eight seasons with the Tigers before joining the New York Mets organization in 2019. This proved to be his lone season with the Mets. Krizan joined the Giants for two seasons beginning in 2021.

He was in camp for both years as a non-roster invitee and immediately made a positive first impression in the Cactus League. The 33-year-old became a fixture in the Sacramento River Cats lineup as he slashed .316/.367/.492 with 16 home runs, 73 RBI, and 67 runs in 480 plate appearances in 2021. The home run output represented a career-high.

Krizan could do it all on the field as he appeared at five different positions for Sacramento that season. San Francisco rewarded him with another minor league deal for 2022. This turned out to be his final season, but not before he notched his first career major league hit:

The Giants added Krizan to the major league roster at the end of April as they battled injuries and illness. He appeared in three games, recording his first and only hit in his third career game. It is always so cool to see how friends and family react to milestones like this. Krizan put in the work and paid his dues to make that happen.

The Giants outrighted him off of the 40-man. He returned to the River Cats and finished the year with an .817 OPS and 15 home runs. After 11 minor league seasons, he had decided to hang up his spikes. Of course, Krizan always seemed like a baseball lifer and has a lot to offer the game. He will transition into a new role in 2023.