San Francisco Giants Legend Gets Candid on New Front Office’s Strategies

The San Francisco Giants brought back former player Randy Winn as part of the player development program, and a former club legend loves what he's doing so far.

Jul 3, 2008; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder Rich Aurilia (35) hits a three-run home run during the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs at AT&T Park in San Francisco, CA. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have had a rough past few seasons, only going above .500 once in the past eight seasons, which was their 107-55 record in the 2021 campaign where they looked outstanding. However, outside of that, they have resided right around equal between wins and losses, usually having more of the latter and not producing exceptional results.

This led to the firing of manager Gabe Kapler, and the addition of Bob Melvin to handle managerial duties for the foreseeable future. While his contract is not long-term, he has been given an opportunity to prove himself for two full seasons, and potentially a third if the club option is picked up.

2024 was not particularly much different however, with a 80-82 record and fourth place finish in the division, things did not turn around immediately. 2025 may be a different story though, as there are positive signs showing up throughout the organization.

In a recent interview with KNBR, Giants Wall of Fame inductee Rich Aurilia spoke about spring training so far this year, and what he has liked about the system Randy Winn has implemented as the new vice president of player development. Aurilia would say the following regarding his feelings on the situation:

"The fundamentals of baseball were not there, and it's really nice, not only as a person who covers the team and an alumni of the team, but as a fan, to see them getting back to that...because, that stuff never goes away. The fundamentals of the game never go away, and to see him get back to that, and telling me what they're trying to implement in the minor league system, was great for me to hear, and I'm proud of Randy for going in there and implementing a system like that to try and get it back to what it was."

Continuing on he would go as far as to say that during the last few seasons, "The standard of fundamental baseball was lost."

He is not misplaced in his opinion either, as San Francisco has had a really difficult time in recent years just playing good baseball without unnecessary strain. Hearing such a highly touted player regard the new staff choice for player development in such a positive light is a great sign for the future of the club, as getting the best prospects ready for the MLB level is a huge process.

Knowing that this process has been placed in the right hands to ensure it is handled correctly is always nice to hear, and something that could be talked about again in the near future if things go according to plan.