SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The San Francisco Giants announced the following hires to their 2024 Major League coaching staff under new manager Bob Melvin:

Bench Coach Ryan Christenson

Third Base Coach Matt Williams

Hitting Coach Pat Burrell

Ryan Christenson (pronounced: CRISS-ten-SON), 49, enters his first season with the Giants after spending the previous two years with the Padres, first as bench coach and last year as associate manager. Before his stint with San Diego, Christenson spent 16 seasons with the Oakland Athletics. The Redlands, Calif. Native spent five seasons managing in the Athletics farm system. After Single-A stints at Beloit in 2013 and Stockton in 2014, he guided Double-A Midland to back-to-back Texas League Championships in 2015 and 2016. He served as manager at Triple-A Nashville in 2017 before joining the A’s as bench coach in 2018. Christenson was originally selected by the A’s in the 10^th round of the 1995 First-Year Player Draft out of Pepperdine University and spent six seasons in the big leagues with the A’s (1998-2001), Diamondbacks (2001-02), Brewers (2002) and Rangers (2003).

Matt Williams, 57, returns to the Giants after having played for the organization for 11 seasons from 1986-1996. Williams, who worked under Melvin in Oakland and San Diego, managed the Nationals in 2014-15, and was named NL Manager of the Year in his first season with the team. He spent two years on the A’s staff (2018-19) and was the Padres’ third-base coach over the past two seasons (2022-23). He also spent two years managing in Korea (2020-21), when he skippered the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization. Williams was also on the Diamondbacks Major League staff as first base coach in 2010 and third base coach from 2011-13 and 2016. The five-time All-Star, including four times with the Giants (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996), played 17 seasons in the big leagues with San Francisco (1987-1996), Cleveland (1997) and Arizona (1998-2003). He was a four-time Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award winner and won a World Series with the Diamondbacks in 2001.  

Pat Burrell, 47, had served as the Giants’ Roving Hitting Coach in their player development system the last four years. In 2019, he worked for NBC Sports Bay Area on Giants pre and post-game. Burrell served as a Special Assignment Scout for the Giants from 2012-2015, including helping the Giants prepare for opponents during the 2012 and 2014 postseasons. As a player, he played 12 years in the Majors and was a career .253 hitter with 292 home runs and 976 RBI while winning two World Series (one with Philadelphia and one with SF). He spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Phillies before joining the Rays in 2009. He was acquired by the Giants from Tampa Bay in 2010 and hit 18 homers in 96 games for the Giants during the regular season before helping the club to its first World Championship in San Francisco. He last played in the Majors for the Giants in 2011, appearing in 92 games.

In addition, Mark Hallberg, who has spent the previous four seasons on the Major League coaching staff, and the last two as the club’s Third Base Coach, will move to First Base Coach in 2024. Justin Viele returns for his fifth season as the Hitting Coach. Pedro Guerrero will return for his third season at the Assistant Hitting Coach. J.P. Martinez will enter his fourth season as the team’s Assistant Pitching Coach. Alyssa Nakken will begin her fifth season as an Assistant Coach and Taira Uematsu will embark on his third season as an Assistant Coach on the Giants’ Major League coaching staff.

The remainder of the Giants’ coaching staff will be announced in the coming weeks.