Good morning, baseball fans!
The San Francisco Giants went a solid week without winning a game. But eventually, they did it! They won a game on Sunday! A whole win in a week. We are truly living in the lap of luxury.
Obviously I am being sarcastic. While it was nice to know that the team is, actually, capable of winning games; it would be a lot better if those wins weren’t all a week or more apart.
Which leads me to my topic for today. The rumor mill seems to imply that the Giants might be in the market
for a new manager after this season (if not before then, depending on who you listen to.) The players seem to be outwardly vocal in their support for current manager Bob Melvin, as they should be. But the Giants have a bit of a tendency of late to find a scapegoat after unremarkable and dull seasons. And since I doubt they’d give up on Buster Posey so quickly (or ever), Melvin could get the honors this year.
Personally, I think it’s too soon. Former manager Gabe Kapler got four seasons before they decided to cut ties with him. That did include the ridiculously lucky 2021 season, which probably bought him some time but should otherwise be considered an outlier.
While some fans may be ready to see Melvin go, he hasn’t exactly done anything worse than his predecessors. Aside from 2021, the Giants have not had a winning season since 2016. And Melvin’s outcomes are more on par with Kapler’s non-2021 seasons, than the final seasons under Bruce Bochy. It may be predictable mediocrity, but at least it’s still really close to .500.
That doesn’t mean that the on-field product has been good. They’re more consistent at being mediocre than anything else. But my point is more than Melvin is treading the same water as Kapler was. Which means that two seasons (with two different presidents of baseball operation, no less) doesn’t seem like a fair shot.
Do you think the Giants should move on from Bob Melvin?
