The key for any prospective SF Giants manager will be overlooked area from last coaching staff

While the SF Giants have identified University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello as their top target for manager, the conversation should soon shift to the coaching staff. That will be the key to any prospective manager's success in San Francisco.

The key for any prospective SF Giants manager will be overlooked area from last coaching staff

This is not to poke at Bob Melvin or his coaching staff. Melvin has managed for over 20 years and has done a lot right to be able to do so. He brought with him a coaching staff of baseball lifers, including two coaches who will not be returning next year.

Despite the experience, the Giants did not look like a well-coached team over the past couple of seasons. Matt Williams had his struggles as the team's third base coach. There were a handful of key calls in June that led to unfavorable results for the Giants. To his credit, those issues seem to have disappeared later in the year, whether that was due to randomness or improvement.

There were far too many instances of the team not displaying basic fundamentals on the bases and in the field. Not knowing when to run, throwing to the wrong base, or not communicating on defense. These were far too common for a major league team. When an issue like this emerges, it is up to the coaching staff to recognize a problem and work to correct it.

The Giants' coaching staff may have identified issues in the field, but it would have been hard to note any tangible improvement, as these issues continued throughout the year.

If the Giants land Tony Vitello, the key to his success, or any manager's success, will be how he fills out his coaching staff. It may make a lot of sense to bring on an experienced bench coach to balance out the experience, but they need coaches who are obsessive about the details.

That was a phrase that Buster Posey used in his end-of-year press conference when describing the traits he wanted in his next manager. When a team parts ways with a manager, they tend to highlight details of where the previous regime was deficient. While Posey likely did not intentionally intend to put Bob Melvin and his coaching staff down, if you read between the lines, it sounds like he was admitting that they were not obsessive about the details.

What are those details? It varies from team to team, but it comes down to taking an extra 90 feet on the bases, preventing the opponent from taking an extra 90 feet, or just knowing what to do when the game is on the line.

Juan Soto stole 38 bases this year and was quick to credit New York Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson for his improvement in that area. You can easily see the direct link between coaching and performance here. Of course, the next Giants' coaching staff will need to find ways to get more baserunning value out of this roster.

The Kansas City Royals only allowed 47 stolen bases this year, which was the fewest in baseball by far. Their catchers deserve some credit, but the pitching staff was also by far the best at holding runners on. That likely did not happen by accident. This is a detail that tends to be a direct reflection of the coaching staff.

So, while the Giants wait to see if they can land their top target, the coaching staff will be paramount to the manager's success. If they are obsessive about the details, you will be able to see it in the field.