Bob Melvin is the perfect fit for an imperfect SF Giants team
Farhan Zaidi got his man. The SF Giants hired manager Bob Melvin away from the division rival San Diego Padres, getting Zaidi's number one target to replace Gabe Kapler. Melvin always seemed like the perfect potential candidate, and they were able to make it happen.
Melvin inherits a Giants team that has disappointed for two straight years since winning a franchise-record 107 games in 2021. Not only have the Giants dropped to 81 and 79 wins the past two seasons, but they've said goodbye to Brandons Belt and Crawford, the final members of the World Series champions of a decade ago.
It's also a team that's curtailed its spending in the past five years. The 2023 payroll eclipsed $200 million for the first time since 2018. Not coincidentally, attendance is also down by roughly 10,000 fans per game since then. The Giants are spending less money because attendance is down, and attendance is down because the team is spending less money.
Melvin is used to having payroll constraints, having worked for John Fisher and the Oakland A's for over a decade. The A's are still famous for their "Moneyball" approach, using analytics to succeed with minimal spending. Of course, now Fisher won't spend on his analytics department either.
Melvin's own attitude toward analytics appears to be less extreme than the very data-friendly Kapler, but he's still a guy who worked for Billy Beane for over a decade. Susan Slusser talked to former Oakland Athletic Chad Pinder, who explained that as a platoon player, he got to understand Melvin's analytical approach - but that his old skipper wasn't married to the numbers.
"I knew over time exactly where I’d be used, but I wouldn’t have gotten to that point if he didn’t express that so well, vocalize his tendencies and work through the analytics in a positive way where it’s not all numbers," Pinder told Slusser. "Some managers are handcuffed in terms of truly managing the game. Bob is one of the guys who gets the opportunity to really manage because he is so good at it. He’s not following a script. He just really knows how to do his job, and he’s proven it."
Slusser also noted that Melvin let Sonny Gray defy the organization's pitch count limits, keeping him in the game when he threw seven shutout innings in his second big league start.
The Giants' new skipper also has experience developing young players, which goes along with payroll limitations. The team gave opportunities to 15 rookies this season, and players like Patrick Bailey, Kyle Harrison, Keaton Winn, Luis Matos, and Marco Luciano (among others should have big roles on next year's Giants team.
Will Melvin be an asset in acquiring players? It's unlikely that Shohei Ohtani is going to come to San Francisco just because of Melvin, but there are some free agents with a direct connection to the new manager.
Sean Manaea has a player option for 2024 worth $12.5 million. After a rough opening month capped off with a nightmare start at altitude in Mexico City, Manaea had a 3.81 ERA the rest of the way. He spent six seasons playing for Melvin in Oakland, two of them with Gray, who is a free agent this winter as well.
Melvin's contract length links Melvin with Zaidi, whose extension through 2026 came as somewhat of a surprise. But clearly ownership is committed to the team president. This deal puts Melvin in a Giants uniform through his 64th birthday, at which point he may be considering retirement.
Finally, hiring Melvin reverses the trend of filling the roster and front office with former Dodgers. Especially if he brings along Matt Williams, his third base coach with the Padres, it's an olive branch to fans.
All things being equal, it's sweet that the Giants new manager was so excited about the Coke bottle slide that the team had to lock it to keep him from sliding down headfirst when his teams came to town. Melvin went to Cal and attended high school in the South Bay at Menlo-Atherton, the same regional background as some recent outfield signings (Joc Pederson, Mitch Haniger).
Will he be much different than Kapler? Reportedly, Melvin is a better communicator than Kapler. Of course, Kapler had a better season in 2021 than Melvin has ever had, and the Padres may have been more disappointing than the Giants last year.
But even though Kapler was a scapegoat for the team's season, Melvin will have an advantage due to his clean slate. If nothing else, the team will have to deal with fewer stories about clubhouse culture and the uncertainty of the manager's job.
Ultimately, the development of young players and ownership's willingness to spend money will determine the success of the 2024 SF Giants more than the guy filling out the lineup card. But Bob Melvin could be a stabilizing presence for a team with an uncertain future. As long as they can keep him from going down the slide head-first.
