SF Giants welcome back legendary manager Bruce Bochy as a special advisor

The SF Giants made one of their biggest hires of the offseason so far. According to a team announcement, legendary manager Bruce Bochy has been added as a special advisor to baseball operations.

SF Giants welcome back legendary manager Bruce Bochy as a special advisor

The special advisor role can an often be a fluid one. However, the announcement indicates that Bochy will be advising on both baseball and business matters. Either way, it is nice to him back in the Giants organization.

While Bochy may never close the door on managing again, he just wrapped up a three-year run with the Texas Rangers. In his first year at the helm, he led them to their first World Series title in franchise history.

The next two years were not quite as strong, as the Rangers battled injuries and a struggling offense. That said, they had one of the better pitching staffs in baseball, which was a hallmark of success during his time as Giants manager. 

Whether it was with the Giants or Rangers, Bochy often had to manager with razor-thin margins, where one in-game decision could be the difference between winning or losing. This is where his feel for the game was at its best.

After an 81-81 season, the Rangers and Bochy agreed to mutually part ways. They left the door open for him to transition to a front office role. The Rangers quickly tabbed Skip Schumaker as their next manager. 

For a brief moment in time, it felt like Bochy would become a candidate for the Giants’ managerial vacancy. Within the same 48-hour window at the start of the offseason, the Giants moved on from Bob Melvin and Bochy became a free agent. 

Buster Posey quickly poured cold water on that idea. Instead, they went with University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello as their next manager.

Vitello is working on building out his new coaching staff, but he has reportedly already made his first hire. Much of last year’s coaching staff will not be back, as Vitello will want new voices in key roles.

For Bochy, one of the next steps in his baseball career will involve the Hall of Fame. In the meantime, he will be looking to help a first-time manager find success with the Giants. Vitello will also have Dusty Baker to lean on for guidance. That is about as good as it gets for managing acumen and experience.