The Giants announced Bob Melvin as their 40th manager, officially bringing the veteran skipper on board.
The team’s announcement and introductory press conference came a day after media reports confirmed San Francisco’s intention to hire Melvin. Given their stated goal of having a new manager in place before the free agency period begins, Melvin’s arrival is ahead of schedule.
“Bob Melvin is one of the most well-respected managers and people in baseball today,” Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said in a statement. “He brings a wealth of baseball acumen from all of his experience in the game, first as a player and then over the last 20+ years as a manager or coach. Having worked with Bob in the past, I have seen firsthand the positive impacts that he has on a team and an organization. I’m thrilled to be working with him once again and can’t wait to get started.”
Melvin, who turns 62 this weekend, had one year remaining on his contract with the San Diego Padres. But the Padres granted their division rivals permission to interview Melvin, making a partnership in San Francisco inevitable.
Nothing in the team-issued press release mentioned any sort of compensation between the Giants and Padres.
A three-time Manager of the Year, Melvin has the fifth most career wins among active managers. He is respected throughout the industry and regarded as a player’s manager — one whose style is informed by but not dominated by analytics.
Melvin was the most logical manager to take over as soon as the Giants decided to dismiss Gabe Kapler. His connection to Farhan Zaidi from their time in Oakland, ties to the Bay Area, track record, sterling reputation and stylistic differences to Kapler made the fit almost too obvious.
Melvin’s managerial career began in 2003 with Seattle. He then spent five seasons with the Diamondbacks before leading the Oakland Athletics to six playoff berths in 11 years.
Before managing, Melvin played 10 MLB seasons, including three with the Giants from 1986 to 1988. For legendary manager Roger Craig, Melvin played alongside Will Clark and Mike Krukow. In 1987, Melvin helped the team to a 90-72 record and National League West title.
After two straight mediocre seasons, the Giants are going to ask Melvin to try to get them back to that level.
Zaidi has said that the Giants want a manager who can be an effective recruiter. Melvin has managed stars and young players from all sorts of backgrounds in his extensive career, and his interpersonal skills could be a draw for prospective free agents. He has managed Ichiro Suzuki — Shohei Ohtani’s childhood hero — as well as Yu Darvish and Ha-Seong Kim, who have connections to free agent stars Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jung Hoo Lee.
Giants brass targeted Melvin immediately, with murmurs beginning in the days following Kapler’s ouster with three games left in the season. But Melvin’s status with his employer was unclear.
The Padres initially committed to Melvin for 2024, but then allowed him to depart. His rift with team president A.J. Preller — who will now have to hire a seventh manager in his 11th year running the club — has been well documented.
Melvin is the only Padres manager under Preller to lead a full winning season, which he did in each of his two seasons at the helm. In his 20 years as manager, Melvin’s teams have a 1,517-1,425 record.
And if there’s anything consistent about the Giants’ brand right now, it’s leaning into nostalgia. Melvin following Bruce Bochy’s narrative beat — as a former Giants catcher heading from San Diego to the Bay Area — certainly applies.
For it to be more than just a wistful stroke of irony, Melvin must not just follow Bochy’s path, but also his results by leading the Giants back to contention.
“I could not be more excited to come back to the Bay Area and manage this great organization,” Melvin said in the release. “I’d like to thank Greg Johnson, Farhan Zaidi and Larry Baer for giving me the opportunity to add another chapter to my Giants career. This is a tremendous opportunity and a great responsibility to lead this organization and I’m eager to get started.”