SAN FRANCISCO — There was a clear theme as the Giants went through the draft and trade deadline this summer. Just about every single one of their additions on the position player side was known for putting the ball in play and having a good feel for the strike zone, and it appears there will now be a greater emphasis on that at the big-league level.
The Giants are hiring Toronto Blue Jays assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense, The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon reported Wednesday, citing sources. Mense presumably would replace outgoing hitting coach Pat Burrell — who is being reassigned to another role in the organization — and work with assistant hitting coach Oscar Bernard, who is staying, and likely one more addition on the hitting side. Burrell’s other assistant, Damon Minor, also had been told he wouldn’t be on Tony Vitello’s staff.
Mense is coming off a run to the World Series in which the Blue Jays showed off a deep and relentless attack. During the regular season, they led the big leagues with a .265 average (the Giants hit .235) and ranked second-to-last with 1,099 strikeouts (the Giants have been over 1,300 in five consecutive seasons). The Blue Jays also ranked third in OPS and fourth in runs scored.
The Giants certainly won’t be at the bottom of the league in strikeouts in 2026; their lineup is filled with free-swinging veterans on long-term contracts and president of baseball operations Buster Posey said on Tuesday that he wouldn’t want to make too many changes with his marquee players. Posey used Rafael Devers as an example, noting that he swings as hard as anyone he has ever seen and that’s one of his strengths.
Still, the Giants certainly could use a different approach from some of their younger players, and they could do a much better job of putting the ball in play with runners in scoring position. Long term, the hope is that there’s more balance around Devers, Willy Adames and Matt Chapman, but the 2026 Giants will be much better off if Mense simply can get more out of guys like Patrick Bailey and Jung Hoo Lee.
Mense has been rumored to be a top candidate since Tony Vitello was hired, and the two have been friends for years. Both are Missouri natives and Mense played at Missouri while Vitello was an assistant coach.
Mense reached Triple-A with the Marlins during his professional career and he had a quick rise through the Blue Jays organization in recent years. He was a minor-league hitting coordinator and Double-A hitting coach before being promoted to assistant hitting coach in 2022.
On Tuesday at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas, Posey said the Giants are close to finalizing deals with several external candidates to join the staff. Bernard and Taira Uematsu are the two Bob Melvin coaches who will be staying, and the hope is that Mark Hallberg and Alex Burg return, as well.
Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast