SF Giants round out coaching staff by promoting familiar face to major league staff

The SF Giants finalized the coaching staff earlier this week. Longtime Triple-A hitting coach Damon Minor is joining the major league staff as an assistant hitting coach, per a team announcement.

SF Giants round out coaching staff by promoting familiar face to major league staff

The Giants also promoted Taira Uematsu to quality control coach. He has served as an assistant coach since 2020. That role was previously held by Nick Ortiz until 2023 but the Giants chose not to fill it last season.

They had a couple of vacancies on the hitting side with Justin Viele and Pedro Guerrero joining the Texas Rangers and Miami Marlins, respectively. Viele received a small promotion from assistant hitting coach to hitting coach, whereas Guerrero made a lateral move.

The Giants filled one of those positions earlier this week after Oscar Bernard reunited with Bob Melvin. Bernard was a hitting coach on Melvin's coaching staff with the San Diego Padres in 2023.

Bumping up Minor is a nice move for someone who has spent considerable time in the (no pun intended) minors. He served as Sacramento's hitting coach for nine seasons this promotion. The Giants had foreshadowed this move in the past as Minor had often found his way to San Francisco once the minor league season ended.

Minor has been connected with the Giants organization for decades. He was originally a 12th-round pick by the club out of the University of Oklahoma in 1996.

The left-handed bat always flashed above-average power in the minors before he debuted with the Giants in 2000. He had an impressive debut as he tallied four hits, including three home runs, with six RBI in nine at-bats to finish the year.

The Giants had hoped that Minor would be their first baseman for years to come. However, he struggled in 2001 but rebounded nicely to post a .778 OPS with 10 home runs and 24 RBI in 201 plate appearances the following season. Minor reappeared with the Giants in 2004, making his final appearance in the majors.

Minor's pro career officially came to an end in 2006 after a stint in the Mexican League. Since then, he has worked as a coach at various levels, including working extensively with Sacramento for the better part of the past decade.