SAN FRANCISCO — Ron Washington is returning to the Bay Area to become the infield coach for the San Francisco Giants as part of new manager Tony Vitello’s staff.
Washington worked for nearly two decades in the same role for the Oakland Athletics, developing many stars with his detailed work hours before the first pitch.
“We are working out the logistics. I have agreed to join the Giants,” Washington told The Associated Press in a text message Thursday. “I get a chance to continue to make a difference.”
Washington also has experience as an MLB manager for the Texas Rangers from 2007-14 and the Los Angeles Angels in 2024 and this year. The 73-year-old took a leave of absence from the Angels this past season with his team at 36-38 to undergo quadruple-bypass heart surgery, and the franchise chose not to bring him back at the end of the year, later hiring Kurt Suzuki as its next manager.
Washington had expressed his desire to be back on the field for 2026 once healthy. He was the oldest manager in the majors during his two seasons guiding the Angels, who hired him in November 2023.
In 2024, Los Angeles went 63-99 for the worst finish in franchise history after the departure via free agency of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Angels have missed the playoffs 11 years in a row with 10 straight losing seasons. Both are the longest active streaks in the majors.
In addition to his managerial jobs and his time on staff for the Athletics, he worked with infielders and was the third-base coach for the Atlanta Braves from 2017-23, which included them winning the 2021 World Series.
Washington brings decades of knowledge and expertise to the staff of Vitello, the former University of Tennessee coach who has no professional playing or coaching experience.
Washington, an MLB infielder for five teams from 1977-89, was credited with helping boost the defensive skills of multiple players during his time in Oakland, including six-time Gold Glove third baseman Eric Chavez.
Washington was known to arrive early and toss short-hop grounders from his knees to help groom some of the game’s great infielders before they were stars, a list that includes Mark Ellis, Jason Giambi, Marcus Semien and Miguel Tejada.
“Mark McGwire, I turned him into a great leader,” Washington once said of the former first baseman who was known more for his slugging prowess but also won a Gold Glove while with the A’s in 1990.
Chavez even gave Washington one of the Gold Glove awards he earned from 2001-06.
“I watched many young kids come through here and grow, I watched many baseball players that the industry thought were through come through here and blossom and get deeper contracts for their careers,” Washington said in July 2024 during the final season the Athletics played in the Oakland Coliseum. “The tradition here in Oakland, I just saw it kept passing down and kept passing down. I had a great 17 years here.”