RUMOR MILL: Nick Hundley is the FAVORITE to be next Giants Manager | Bob Melvin CALLS OUT Giants

RUMOR MILL: Nick Hundley is the FAVORITE to be next Giants Manager | Bob Melvin CALLS OUT Giants

There are reports on a frontr runner for the Giants manager position, a Kurt Suzuki profile, and Bob Melvin speaks about his time in San Francisco. That’s all coming up on Locked on Giants. You are Locked on Giants, your daily San Francisco Giants podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Hello and welcome to Locked On Giants, part of the Locked On podcast network where it’s your team every single day. My name is Alen Styles. On the show, we provide daily episodes Monday through Friday talking about the San Francisco Giants in a way that combines passion, analytics with the eye test and a little bit of fun. I’m from the Bay Area, but I live in Sacramento now and I host a show at Sack Sports 11:40 as well, the Allen Style Show, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Be sure to check that out, as well as MCing Sacramento Rivercats games. All in all, I’m lucky enough to cover a team I’ve been a fan of all my life. Today we are talking about Nick Hunley who has been tagged as the front runner for the Giants manager position, a profile on Kurt Suzuki. We talked a little bit about it on Friday, but I wanted to dive a little bit deeper into her who Kurt Suzuki is and Bob Melvin speaks and there are some very, very interesting quotes that you don’t want to miss. Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the app today. All right, so we’ve been hearing it in multiple places. But most recently, John Haymon says that Nick Hunley is quote strongly in the mix. Here is the actual quote that John Haymon said. Keep hearing Nick Hunley is strongly in the mix for Giants manager job. no guarantees but Rangers exec and former catcher with Giants and others is very well respected was Buster Posy’s backup 2017 to 2018. So that is what Jean Heymon is saying. There are a couple people mentioning it as well and obviously a lot of us remember Nick Hunley for his backup uh prowess while with the while with the Giants. So, that’s kind of where this thing has started. And it feels like Buster Posey believes Nick Hunley is a guy that can check a couple different boxes. So, let’s go through it here. Who is Nick Hunley? A 12-year uh MLB career with the Padres’s, Orioles, Rockies, Giants, and A’s. He spent 2017, 2018 with the Giants. As I mentioned, was very well-liked in the clubhouse. Had a great player rep, respected by the pitchers, which is obviously important. Currently, he is in the Rangers for an office as a special assistant to the GM. So, he’s already gotten experience being around an organization. Obviously, he’s not coming in cold turkey, but it it’s not exactly the same as managing, which some people it will mind and some people won’t. Why he makes sense for the Giants, a direct relationship with Buster Posey, right? They shared a clubhouse together and had similar leadership styles. I think a lot of people would agree with that. A trusted voice in player circles. He’s a known communicator. He understands the Giants culture, history, and expectations. And he’s seen what successful organizations look like because of his time in Texas. Posie is looking for trust and alignment. Someone who sees the game through a catcher’s lens the same way he does. Hunley can be that guy. And I think he is that guy. I think there’s multiple guys, right, that probably look at the game the same way as Buster. If Posie wants a manager who won’t clash with the front office philosophy, Hunley seems to at least fit that bill. Here is why some fans are skeptical. It feels like a quote inside hire, too cozy, maybe a little too predictable. He doesn’t have actual managing or coaching experience. And after Melvin, fans might want a proven bench leader, not another experiment. And I don’t even know that Melvin was an experiment because he was uh you know pretty wellliked. This is just a matter of how much experience and how much exact experience do you want from fan to fan and anybody that covers the team. You could argue that this search is a little too narrow. As we talked about again on Friday, they’ve zeroed in on almost all catchers that we have reported. All with ties to Posie or the Manassian family tree. We’ll get to that in a little bit later when we talk about Kurt Suzuki. Is that a good thing or are the Giants missing out on some of the other creative baseball minds? I think my my initial uh take on that is this is what a lot of people do, right? Being a catcher and representing uh your team as a manager, there are a lot of catchers running around. This isn’t a new thing, right? Even though Buster Posey is obviously a catcher himself, this isn’t something that the Giants just created. Are they maybe focusing a little too much on it? I don’t want to say obsessing. That’s what I was gonna say. You could maybe argue that, but we’ll see as more names come out if they interview anybody who wasn’t a former catcher. So, Posy’s fingerprints are obviously all over this. He’s shaping the organization’s next phase. The search reflects a philosophical philosophical identity, calm leadership, defensive structure, a pitcher first mentality. This isn’t just about picking a manager in my opinion. It’s about defining what kind of team the Giants want to be. Posie is basically saying we’re going to win with preparation, trust, stability, and he’s picking from a pool that reflects that. So, between some of the guys that we’ve heard, and most recently, Nick Hunley is clear. The Giants again like the idea of the Steven Vote type uh model, if you will, a former catcher with leadership traits who can connect with the modern clubhouse. the the question is now could they be the next Stephen Vote right and I’m not even going to say Bruce Bochi who obviously was a catcher as well but before you even get there before you even have that type of conversation you have to know does this guy fit what we’re trying to do and do we think that he can take us to the next level how much do I mind about the lack of managerial experience I don’t mind it if you truly think that it won’t matter if you truly think that’s a philosophy is good enough if you’re Buster Posey to me. And and by the way, Skip Schumacher’s off the board. He’s recently hired. He was essentially my number one. So the other part of this is as dudes get hired, as as uh former players and coaches, as the pool does get smaller, what does that mean for uh who you’re able to pick from? Right. So we’re hearing that it’s Nick Hunley. Not sure if Nick Hunley has spoken with any other teams. I think the biggest thing for me is, and it’s kind of funny almost as a human, you want somebody that other people want. That’s why Skip Shoeacher I think had a lot of cache because a lot of people wanted Skip Shoeacher. It’s the same thing when you go into the store and you think you want a shirt or you think you want a pair of pants or a pair of shoes and it might be the last one left. Then you see somebody you you might hold it, put it down for a half second and walk away. Then when you see somebody grab it, you’re thinking, man, I should have kept it because obviously this is something that other people are also interested in. So I I need to know more as far as a Nick Hunley thing is concerned. Is there anybody else interested in Nick Hunley? Should that matter? Maybe not. Maybe it doesn’t matter for you. I think for me, I would like to know, do other teams think that this person is ready? sometimes and baseball’s a little bit different. The pipelines are very uh the pipelines are much wider than other sports like the NFL or the NBA, but it would be nice to know, hey, are other teams checking in on Nick Hunley? Are they are they also interested in Nick Hunley or is this kind of a a giant special? And to have a front runner already I mean, I guess if you look at Skip Schumacher, he’s already been hired, but that was essentially an internal hire. So, it’s it’s it’s a fascinating way to go about this. And I appreciate that Buster does have a path that he wants to follow. I just hope that he’s not kind of pigeon holing himself into what he wants and doesn’t make a decision too quickly. Which is funny because I was the same person that said, “Hey, don’t have it too broad and not know what you want.” So, uh, look, I I think it’s great stuff and great reporting from John Haymon, the local pe the local media members that are all over this as well. I’ve been hearing stuff, but I’m kind of just waiting and and deferring to what we’re hearing because there’s just a lot going on and I want to more so confirm stuff right now than attempt to break something because there is a lot of or there are a lot of rumors kind of floating around as well. On the other side, well, this isn’t a rumor. This actually happened on Friday. The Giants interviewed Kurt Suzuki. Let’s discuss what Kurt Suzuki could bring to the table for the Gmen. Don’t move. More locked on Giants coming up. The NFL season is here and FanDuel has an offer you don’t want to miss. Right now, new customers can bet just $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. That’s right. 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That’s shopder.comlockonsf. Okay, obviously we have had a ton of player profiles and I’ve had people reaching out to me saying how much they love the player profiles. Don’t worry, we have a ton of player profiles coming up throughout the rest of the off season and during the season as well because that’s the thing about baseball. There’s always another prospect. But today we are discussing a Kurt Suzuki profile who the Giants interviewed on Friday. Now things happened so quickly on Friday that I didn’t feel like I broke down the Curt Suzuki decision and the Kurt Suzuki path as well as I probably should have. So, I want to do that now and give everybody kind of a look at who Kurt Suzuki is as a manager prospect, why the Giants are interested in him, and whether or not I think that he would be a a good fit compared to a Nick Hunley or somebody like that. So, Susan Sleser reported again on Friday that the Giants interviewed longtime big league catcher Kurt Suzuki for their managerial opening. This is our first confirmed interview of this cycle and it tells us a lot about where Buster Posey and the Giants might be headed. Who is Curt Suzuki? 16-year MLB veteran, the A’s, the Twins, the Nationals, uh the Angels, the 2019 World Series champ. He did that with Washington. Known as a respected clubhouse leader, great with pitchers, a steady presence, currently a special assistant with the Angels, working in their front office. This isn’t some random name. Suzuki’s got deep ties around the league. He’s worked with young staffs, veterans, and has seen all kinds of baseball environments. He’s basically preparing uh he’s been preparing for something like this for years, even if not formally. It kind of just comes with the gig. And again, this is that that same theme as the the catchers are concerned. His connection to the Giants. This is where it gets a little bit interesting and not everybody knows this. So, as I mentioned, Kurt Suzuki currently works for the Angels, right? And he currently works for Perry Manassian. Allan, that name sounds familiar. Well, of course it does. That is Giants GM Zack Manassian’s brother. That front office, and the familiarity that they have might have opened that door. There’s a family connection, and in baseball, that kind of trust matters. Posie and Zach are clearly talking to people they know or at least vouched for by those they know. Why the Giants might like him. Leadership, communication, player trust, the ability to connect with pitchers fits Posy’s publicly stated pitching and defense identity, managerial demeanor, calm, respected, modern communicator. Someone like Suzuki could pair well with a strong bench coach with more tactical experience. Posie has made it clear the identity of his team is pitching and defense. Suzuki spent a whole career managing pitchers, game planning for arms and calling games. He literally embodies that formula. So again, let’s talk about the other side, the counterpoint and the questions. No coaching or managing experience at any level. Would Giants fans be patient with a first timer after firing a veteran like Bob Melvin? And lastly, would veterans buy in right away? This would be a pretty bold swing, but you can tell Buster Posey doesn’t just want another uh uh manager hire, right? Somebody that’s just been in that manager carousel. He wants somebody above that that fits the culture and the long-term vision, not just someone who can barely get to 85 years, specifically next year. So Kurt Suzuki may not be the front runner, but this tells us the kind of candidate that the Giants are targeting or that they’re willing to target. Again, the former catcher is the almost a non-negotiable. If we’re looking at this like a like a job description, when you go online and you go on LinkedIn or Indeed or wherever you go, it seems like the qualifications being a catcher is almost a non-negotiable, right? You have to be a former catcher. I don’t know that for a fact, but this is what we’ve seen so far. uh with credibility, communication shops, and leadership traits. This is a bolder swing that I think a lot of people realize, and I appreciate Buster for doing it. I would not put him over Nick Hunley, even though neither of them neither of them have managing experience. I would take Nick Hunley over Kurt Suzuki simply because, and this might sound ridiculous, but simply because he was in the organization with Buster Posey and Buster has that relationship. I would never say that this seems to be a a favor interview because of the connection between the Manassian brothers, but and and I know that, you know, people do like Kurt Suzuki and and think that he’s a willing candidate, but compared to some of the other names out there, I wouldn’t, you know, and people keep bringing up Mark D. Rosa as well. I don’t see Kurt Suzuki as the right person for this job right now. Personally, personally. Now, if they go out and get him and the Giants make the playoffs next season, then I’ll look crazy. Or if they make it in two seasons, I’ll look crazy. But Buster, as I’ve said before, he really needs to get this right. And taking a swing, if you’re going to take a swing on somebody with no managing experience, then they should at least be familiar with the organization. So Kurt Suzuki, if you’re looking at this and you know some people out there watch Love Love Island or maybe your kids watch Love Island when they are trying to date somebody, they say, “This person checks all of my different boxes.” For me, Kurt Suzuki, he does not check a lot of my boxes. And as far as the Giants are concerned, I think the main box that he checks is that he was a former catcher. But outside of that, you I I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting somebody that’s connected to the organization or that played within the organization. Those shouldn’t be those shouldn’t be the the driving factors, but you should have some of these things. If you’re not going to go that direction, then you should have some type of managing or even coaching experience. And Kurt Suzuki doesn’t have any of that. So, I I think it’s a really uh fascinating and interesting choice to even interview him. And I know that he’s, you know, obviously been a name that’s been thrown around. It’s not as if the Giants just decided, hey, let’s throw this guy a bone. But I don’t see the Giants and and I will say this from my experience in different contests and auditions and obviously job uh interviews things like that I don’t know how often the first person gets hired right even if we look at other unless it’s a again an internal situation let’s think about even in other sports the NFL the NBA how often does the first person that gets reported to interview get hired. The only time it’s normally that person is if I think it was internal and it was more of a promotion type deal. So I don’t know and I feel it feels crazy me saying this. I don’t know how seriously I’m taking this this Kurt Suzuki interview. It could be something where it’s hey we are interested. This gives Kurt Suzuki an opportunity to interview. He works for he, you know, he works for Zack Manassian’s brother. I don’t know, maybe I’m way off on this, but it just seems like with with some of the other names floating around and then now Nick Hunley immediately after Kurt Suzuki meets is now the front runner. It’s just weird timing to me. It’s just weird timing to me. So, we’ll see what happens there. But, hey, if they go with Kurt Suzuki, we we hope that he can bring the Giants back to the successful years that they’ve had in the past and and get to the playoffs. One more segment with you. And in that segment, we’ve been talking about the future. Let’s take a little blast from the past as Bob Melvin speaks about his time in San Francisco. Do not move. You don’t want to miss this. More locked on Giants coming up. Most people can’t name all their financial accounts or even what they’re worth, whether it’s 401ks, properties, or investments. And when you don’t have the full picture, you can end up leaving money on the table. That’s why there is Monarch Money. 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Use code locked on MLB at monarchmoney.com in your browser for half off your first year. That’s 50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code locked on MLB. So Bob Melvin speaks and had some things to say. One of the quotes, I have no regrets. This is from Shaina Rubin of the SF Chronicle. Bob Melvin recently dismissed as Giants manager has publicly reflected on his tenure with both pride and a hint of confusion of how it ended. In an article from the SF Chronicle, Melvin said plainly, quote, “It didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but I have no regrets and I wouldn’t do anything differently.” Close quote. The sentiment captures a lot. Melvin clearly sees his time in San Francisco as a dream realized, but he got to manage both Bay Area teams in his hometown in front of a crowd that he grew up rooting for. He called it more than, there’s another quote, “More than I could even imagine.” So, let’s discuss what surprised him. A key point in his reflection is what he says. He was never given a clear reason for the dismissal. He met face tof face with Posie the morning it was announced and afterward Posy’s public explanation cited the disappointing final months. But Melvin says, quote, I wasn’t given a direct explanation for why I was being dismissed. The disconnect is telling. And that’s me. That’s me now. I’m closing on the quote. The disconnect is telling. On one hand, the front office signified confidence in July by picking up the 2026 option presumably to stabilize and keep momentum. Uh yet by season’s end, after a stretch of losses that were just incredibly bad and roster selloff moves, the the bullpen arms, Dval, Tyler Rogers, Posey reversed course. Melvin felt the timing of that reversal was odd. He pushed back on the idea that the late months were inherently worse than earlier struggles, pointing instead to the structural shifts mid-season. The front office dealing away key pieces, which he sees as diluting the core on which the team was built. Melvin described the stretch after acquiring Raphael Devers as a clear break point. The team went from hopeful to unraveling. He called their struggles, especially losing at home and losing their bullpen pillars, maybe the hardest stretch I’ve ever gone through managing. So, Bob Melvin and and we’ll trust me, just I’m going to get back to what he said as far as the Giants not giving him clear direction. The uh high connections, uh the highs, the lows, and what’s next for Bob Melvin. Despite the ending, Melvin spoke warmly of the highs that he had with the Giants. He talked about managing his friend Matt Chapman, building camaraderie in the clubhouse, and enjoying the energy at Oracle Park. He said the group felt tight in one of the better clubouses that he’s led. Looking ahead, Melvin hinted at a new ambition, perhaps managing in Japan. He’s long admired Japanese baseball. He’s been on team tours there, felt a connection to that style of game, and he admitted that might be the path forward. He also admitted uncertainty about whether San Francisco was truly his last stop. And here’s the last quote. It’s tough to say for sure as far as what’s next here. I’m not sure yet. So, I want to take a step back here because obviously you’re a fan of a team. You’re always going to ride for the team and coaches and managers are going to come and go. Players are going to come and go, but if you are a Giants fan, whatever whatever team you’re a fan of, you’re always going to ride for them. reading this when I initially read the actual article and hearing that the Giants didn’t give him a reason and he’s willing to tell people out loud the Giants never told me what it was. On one hand, I feel as if I don’t think I would call it a Bush League, but I do think it’s a bit bizarre for the Giants not to say, you know, and I and I guess Bob is saying that they did allude to the end of the month, so maybe they did give a little bit more information. But on the other side, I would say as somebody who unfortunately just like many people uh in the world in in general have been laid off, sometimes you get a reason. Sometimes you don’t. And I guess this isn’t even being laid off. Laid off is because, hey, we’re losing money. Whatever it is, you got fired or you got released from your job and or relieved from your job. And I and I would say if I’m being the the Giants fan part of me wants to say, “Well, Bob, what do you think happened?” Right? What what exactly do you feel like you needed to hear? Obviously, you missed the playoffs both seasons. Maybe the confusion was I I would like to know if I’m Bob Melvin, maybe I would like to know why you picked up my option and then proceeded to relieve me of my duties, which is fair, but again, Buster Posey or whoever is in that conversation, HR, hey, when HR whenever you get a call from HR, hey, we got a quick Zoom call or hey, we just want to chat and and you see HR in the in the Zoom room with you, you you wonder what’s going on here or you don’t wonder, you kind of think the worst, But I would say Bob, you kind of know. They’re just assuming that Bob knows why you’re being relieved. And the reality is that option, you know, this is a billiondoll industry. And you know that even though we picked up the option, there were no guarantees, right? Maybe he wanted them to admit, and this is just all my speculation, maybe Bob Melvin wanted them to admit that the option wasn’t about believing in him, and it was about very simply, as has essentially been reposi said it out loud. We picked up the option to try to stop them from the slide that they were on because they kept losing games and it didn’t work. Maybe Bob Melvin wanted them to say that to his face and that’s fair, right? If if I get if I get a, you know, even with my with my other job at Sacktown Sports, if you get a contract, right, a new contract, and then you get let let go while in the midst of that contract or, you know, right before actually in this in this situation, before the contract even starts, you’d at least want to know why. Now, it’s a little bit different when you talk about the uh performance that Bob had had and, you know, kind of putting together the dots. I I guess I I see both sides of it, and I know in sports, you’re not supposed to fence it, but I understand why Bob Melvin probably wanted a little bit more detail, but I also understand why the Giants feel like they gave him enough detail, and the the proof is in the pudding. I mean, again, we were bringing up stuff that the Giants had done since 1901. and the the option. He’s not the first person because we looked it up and we talked about this on the show. He’s not the first person to get an option picked up and never get to see the light of day of that option. So, we wish Bob Melvin the best whether that’s in Japan, whether that is uh, you know, anywhere overseas or still in Major League Baseball. And we appreciate Bob for even being willing to speak out and say his piece. Obviously, people are going to have opinions the same way I do, the same way you do. Be sure to let me know those thoughts in the comments. But shout out Bob Melvin and what he’s done throughout his career. Good luck to him wherever that may be. Thank you for uh listening and watching. Locked on Giants. Be sure to follow me on social media at the_SFiles Styles with an I and the Locked On Giants account as well. We will talk to you tomorrow and thank you for making Locked On Giants your first listen every day. For your second listen, find the allnight locked on MLB game night every game, every night until a World Series champion is crowned. Get local analysis on a national scale. Find MLB Game Night on Locked on MLB on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast. We will talk to you tomorrow. Until then, peace.

The San Francisco Giants’ managerial search is heating up, and Buster Posey’s vision for the franchise is starting to take shape. On today’s episode, Allen Stiles breaks down reports that the Giants interviewed Kurt Suzuki, with connections through the Minasian front-office tree, and that former Giants catcher Nick Hundley is “strongly in the mix,” according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. Both names fit Posey’s emphasis on leadership, communication, and a pitching-and-defense identity — but do they have enough experience to lead this roster?

Plus, Allen reacts to Bob Melvin’s recent comments on his firing, where he said he has “no regrets” but admitted he was never given a clear explanation for his dismissal. What do Melvin’s words reveal about how things ended — and what they mean for Posey and the front office going forward?

From potential new hires to reflections on the past, this episode dives into what the Giants’ next move says about their future direction under Buster Posey.

0:00 Nick Hundley tagged as favorite
11:18 Kurt Suzuki Profile
20:39 Bob Melvin SPEAKS

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