SF Giants (finally) finalize Tony Vitello's coaching staff for 2026

The wait is finally over. On Friday, the SF Giants announced Tony Vitello's coaching staff for 2026. Most of the names have been previously reported on, but the announcement did confirm a pair of first-time coaches in Shane Robinson and Hector Borg.

SF Giants (finally) finalize Tony Vitello's coaching staff for 2026

Robinson will be taking over for Mark Hallberg as the first base coach. Hallberg departed in the offseason to become the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins. This represented a promotion for the longtime Giants coach.

Robinson is in his second season with the club. He worked as a minor league baserunning and outfield coordinator last season. His background includes a nine-year career in the majors, and serving as a minor league coach in the New York Mets' system before joining the Giants organization.

On the other hand, Borg has been a coach in the Giants' system for nearly two decades, serving in a variety of roles. Prior to joining the major league staff, he worked as a coordinator for the Arizona Complex League Giants over the past two seasons. Borg had a brief pro career in the Giants system in the mid 2000's. He will take over as the third base coach.

The Giants retained a handful of coaches from the prior regime. This includes Oscar Bernard, Taira Uematsu, Eliezer Zambrano, and Alex Burg. Bernard had developed a relationship with Rafael Devers following his trade to San Francisco.

While Tony Vitello will be in his first season at the pro ranks, he deserves credit for filling out the staff with a lot of experienced voices, especially from outside of the organization. His coaching staff includes a pair of former managers in Jayce Tingler and Ron Washington. Tingler will take over as the bench coach, and Washington will work with the infielders.

In addition to this, Vitello added coaches from organizations that have had recent success in player development. Hunter Mense worked as an assistant hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays before coming over to San Francisco. Justin Meccage and Christian Wonders worked in pitching development roles for the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively. Both of those organizations, especially the Brewers, seem to get the most out of their pitchers.

Vitello brought Frank Anderson with him from the University of Tennessee. Anderson, who is the father of former big league pitcher Brett Anderson, is well regarded for his work at the college level. He is being brought in as the director of major league pitching. The role is relatively unique, but will likely involve working on pitching development, as well as player acquisitions. Brian Bannister served in a similar role during his time with the Giants.

The coaching staff is finalized. This was a formality, as many of the coaches had already been in Arizona working with Giants players to get ready for the season.