Giants announce reorganization of coaching staff

The San Francisco Giants today announced a reorganization of the coaching staff.
"Teams have to change to keep their edge in an industry as competitive as Major League Baseball,'' Giants Senior Vice President and General Manager Bobby Evans said. "They have to constantly infuse new ideas and energy at every level of the organization, on the field and in the front office. This reorganization helps us enhance an already successful group of some of the best minds in baseball."
Effective immediately, Hensley Meulens will shift from hitting coach to the Giants' bench coach; Ron Wotus will move from bench coach to third base coach; Matt Herges has been named the new bullpen coach; Jose Alguacil will remain in his role as the team's first base coach; and Shawon Dunston will remain in his position as the team's replay analyst and on-field instructor. Phil Nevin will not return to the Giants organization in 2018.
The Giants also added more expertise to its front office by transitioning Dave Righetti to the role of Special Assistant to the General Manager. Righetti will be responsible for ensuring that the Giants pitching philosophy remains consistent from the Major League club down through the farm system. He'll evaluate the development of top pitching prospects and assess Major League free agents and trade targets.
"After 38 years on the field as a player and coach, I'll be looking at things through a different lens", said Righetti. "Working with Bobby and his baseball ops team in the front office, I'll be able to apply all those years of experience to help the team in new ways.''
Mark Gardner will serve in a Special Assignment role concentrating on pitching development and evaluation. He will assess the organization's pitching during spring training and will evaluate top pitching prospects in the minor league system throughout the regular season.
Assistant hitting coach Steve Decker will move to the role of Special Assistant, Baseball Operations. He will work alongside front office personnel in shaping the organization's hitting approach and evaluating amateur hitters for the upcoming draft.
"We're tapping into our coaching expertise to improve all levels of our organization,'' manager Bruce Bochy said. "Rags, Gardy and Deck bring on-the-field experience to the table and I know their input is going to be invaluable in putting together a winning roster.''
The Giants are in the process of interviewing candidates for pitching coach, hitting coach and assistant hitting coach to complete Bochy's 2018 staff.
Meulens will begin his ninth season on the Giants' coaching staff and his first as bench coach. In his new role, Meulens will take over the day-to-day administration and participate more directly with Bruce Bochy's in-game strategy. Meulens also will be responsible for the outfield defense instruction, positioning and preparation.
Wotus will embark on his 31st year in the Giants organization and his 21st on San Francisco's Major League coaching staff. The 2018 season will mark the second time he's manned the third base coaching box and the first since 1998, when he was third-base coach for Dusty Baker in his first Major League job. Wotus will continue to work closely with Bochy on the team's in-game offensive approach and to oversee infield instruction, positioning and strategy. His leadership and experience will remain a vital part of the coaching staff.
Herges, a former Giants pitcher, will embark on his first season as San Francisco's bullpen coach. The 47-year-old will work closely with the relief pitchers and oversee their warm-ups and daily preparation. He will also be responsible for series advance analysis. Herges pitched in parts of 11 big league seasons, including three with the Giants from 2003-05. He posted a record of 43-35 with 34 saves and a 3.91 ERA in 567 games (four starts) with Los Angeles-NL (1999-2001), Montreal (2002), San Diego (2003), San Francisco (2003-05), Arizona (2005), Florida (2006), Colorado (2007-08, 2009) and Cleveland (2009). Herges previously worked the last seven seasons within the Dodgers' minor league chain and most recently was the Triple-A pitching coach for the Oklahoma City Dodgers in 2016 and 2017.
Alguacil returns to the Giants for his second season as the team's first base coach and will continue to oversee bunting instruction along with assisting Ron Wotus with infield defense and baserunning. Dunston will continue to oversee the replay system and will work closely with other members of the staff on all aspects of on-field instruction.