The San Francisco Giants sought to surround rookie manager Tony Vitello with as many experienced resources as possible. They also sought to tighten up a defense that ranked 23rd out of 30 major-league clubs with minus-24 Outs Above Average.
It would be hard — incredibly hard — to find someone who could be a difference maker in both areas. But the Giants are poised to do so. They are finalizing an agreement with infield coaching guru and former Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington to join Vitello’s staff as an infield coach.
Washington, 73, will be one more experienced voice for Vitello, the former University of Tennessee head coach, who will become the first major-league manager in a century to leap from a college campus to the major leagues without any professional playing or coaching experience. The Giants also employ two former managers with Hall of Fame credentials, Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy, as special assistants. Former San Diego Padres manager Jayce Tingler, who has known Vitello since they were teammates at the University of Missouri, will serve as bench coach or in an adjacent role.
The Giants have assembled nearly all of Vitello’s staff but haven’t announced it because they were waiting on a name or two to be finalized. Pursuing Washington was Vitello’s idea, Giants GM Zack Minasian said on KNBR while confirming the pending hire that was first reported by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Between Washington and senior advisor Ron Wotus, who is the longest tenured major-league coach in Giants history, the organization has an abundance of expertise when it comes to infield defense.
Minasian said the Giants are still sorting out exact roles and titles for the coaching staff and that it’s possible that Washington will be Vitello’s choice to succeed Matt Williams as the team’s third base coach.
Washington, who played most of his 10 major-league seasons with the Minnesota Twins, built his reputation as an infield guru with the Oakland A’s, where he served as a mentor for players like shortstop Miguel Tejada, third baseman Eric Chavez and infielder Marcus Semien, who played a credible shortstop even though his abilities fit better at second base. Chavez famously gave one of his six Gold Glove Awards to Washington and had it engraved with, “Wash, not without you.”
The charismatic New Orleans native was spotlighted in Michael Lewis’s bestseller “Moneyball” and the movie adaptation for helping to convert catcher Scott Hatteberg into a first baseman. Washington figures to play a major role with the Giants’ own first base project, 21-year-old top prospect Bryce Eldridge, who is learning the position after serving as a pitcher and designated hitter in high school. Washington is also poised to be an asset to Rafael Devers, who showed immediate aptitude while converting from third base to first base last season but still has plenty to refine at the new position.
Washington managed the Rangers from 2007 to 2014 and guided them to two American League pennants. However, he couldn’t push them to the pinnacle as they lost the 2010 World Series in five games to the Giants and came up just short against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 2011 Fall Classic that went the distance. After resigning his position in Texas for personal reasons — he acknowledged having an extramarital affair and took the time away to reconcile with his family — Washington was re-hired by the A’s as an infield and base coach in 2015. He then joined the Atlanta Braves, where he served as their third-base coach from 2017 to 2023 and won a World Series ring in 2021.
Washington returned to the top step of the dugout when the Angels hired him before the 2024 season; he managed them to a 63-99 record, then stepped away from the team with a 40-40 record last June while he recovered from triple bypass surgery.
During his second coaching stint with the A’s, Washington briefly crossed paths with a minor-league third-base prospect who had a bright future as a defensive asset — maybe even better than Chavez. Now, Washington will get to work alongside Matt Chapman every day in San Francisco.