By Jordan Long
The San Francisco Giants ended the season with a record of 79-83, missing the postseason for the 2nd year in a row. The Giants had a managerial opening since firing Manager Gabe Kapler 159 games into the season. They found his replacement in Bob Melvin.
Kapler had been the Giants’ Manager since 2020. In that time the Giants had a 295-248 record including a franchise best 107-win season in 2021. Kapler couldn’t manage this team deep in the playoffs. His only postseason appearance with the Giants was in 2021 when they were beaten by the L.A. Dodgers in the Division Series.
This year, the Giants didn’t meet expectations. The Giants didn’t even let Kapler finish the season, dismissing him after 159 games when their record stood at 78-81. Bench Coach Kai Correa took over for the final 3 games, going 1-2. Correa didn’t have enough games to prove he was the right man for the job.
The Giants were going to start a managerial search. That has come to an end, reportedly hiring Bob Melvin as their next manager. Melvin is a great choice. He brings 20 years of managerial experience to the Giants. His stops included Seattle, Arizona, Oakland, and San Diego. His teams earned a playoff spot 7 times. The only downside is he has never managed them to a World Series.
For the past 2 years, Melvin was the Padres’ Manager. The Padres thought they built a championship team. That didn’t happen. Last year, the Padres advanced to the National Championship Series but were beaten in 5 games by Philadelphia. This year, they were supposed to go further. It didn’t happen as they finished with an 82-80 record.
Melvin could have stayed with the Padres. He felt it was best to move on. Now he goes to San Francisco to turn them back into a winner. The Giants want to win a World Series. The last time they won it all was in 2014. They have a chance with Melvin as their manager. The next step for the Giants is free agency where they hope to make the ball club more competitive.
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