With the 2022 season approaching, the San Francisco Giants announced the coaching staffs for their minor league affiliates for the upcoming season, and the four full-season affiliates will be home to a lot of familiar faces.
Of the major coaches at each of the four top levels, there’s only one coach who is new to the system, and even that is someone who has ties to the system. And Triple-A Sacramento’s entire main coaching staff stays in place from 2021.
Sacramento River Cats (AAA)
Manager: Dave Brundage
Pitching Coach: Garvin Alston
Hitting Coach: Damon Minor
Fundamentals Coach: Jolbert Cabrera
Athletic Trainers: David Getsoff, Brian Renker (New Hire)
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Eric Wood (New Hire)
The River Cats feature a foursome of coaches who have been around for a while. Manager Dave Brundage has been in the role since 2017, and returns for his fifth season. Hitting Coach Damon Minor returns to Sacramento, where he’s coached since 2016. Also returning is Pitching Coach Garvin Alston, who joined the organization in 2021, and Fundamentals Coach Jolbert Cabrera, who is in his second year in the role in Sacramento, but has been coaching with the team since 2016.
David Getsoff also returns, after being with Sacramento for 2021, but is in his 14th year with the organization. He will be joined by newcomer Brian Reinker, who comes over from the Los Angeles Angels, where he was a trainer since 2003. For Strength and Conditioning, the team brings in Eric Wood, who has been in that role with the San Diego Padres organization since 2012.
Richmond Flying Squirrels (Double-A)
Manager: Dennis Pelfrey
Pitching Coach: Paul Oseguera
Hitting Coach: Danny Santin
Fundamentals Coach: Gary Davenport
Athletic Trainer: Chris Walsh (New Hire)
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Matt Jordan
The Squirrels are bringing in Championship coach from two different teams within the system. The team will be led by Dennis Pelfrey, who comes off of leading the Eugene Emeralds to the High-A West Championship. It’s Pelfrey’s second season managing in the system, though he had been hired for the 2020 season for then-High-A San Jose before the season was cancelled. He managed in the independent Frontier League from 2015-2019.
The pitching and hitting coaches will be led by Paul Oseguera and Danny Santin, who filled those roles for the 2021 San Jose Giants and their championship. Oseguera, a 2006 pick by the Giants, is in his second season coaching in the Giants system. His San Jose staff lead the Low-A West league in ERA (3.59) and strikeouts (1,439). It’s Santin’s second year with the Giants, after serving as a hitting coordinater and coach with the Brewers in 2020 and 2019, and the Marlins for 2014 through 2018. They’ll be joined by longtime Giants coach Gary Davenport with Fundamentals, in his third season with the Squirrels and 19th in the organization.
Chris Walsh joins the Giants organization after five seasons with the Cardinals organization as trainer. Meanwhile, Matt Jordan will be in his first season with the Squirrels, and 4th with the Giants organization. Jordan was last with Eugene in 2021, and with the DSL Giants in 2019.
Eugene Emeralds (High-A)
Manager: Carlos Valderrama
Pitching Coach: Alain Quijano
Hitting Coach: Cory Elasik
Fundamentals Coach: Eliezer Zambrano
Athletic Trainer: Tim Vigue
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Nick Fajardo
Heading up the Eugene Emeralds for 2022 will be one of the longest-tenured members in the Giants organization. Carlos Valderrama joined the Giants system in 1997, and reached as high as Double-A, playing through 2005. He began his coaching career with the Giants in 2010, and will manage for his 8th season, his first time as high as High-A in 2022. He spent 2021 managing the ACL Giants Orange team.
Valderrama will be joined by last year’s Eugene’s pitching and hitting coaches. Hitting Coach Cory Elasik was hired by the Giants for the 2020 season intended for the AZL, but was moved up to Eugene for 2021, after serving in the role with St. Johns River State College previously. Pitching Coach Alain Quijano was also hired for the Giants in 2020, and was set to coach for Low-A Augusta, and moved to Eugene for 2021. Previously, Quijano had been pitching coach for the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the American Association from 2015 through 2019. Fundamentals Coach Eliezer Zambrano played for the Giants as a catcher from 2006 through 2017, and was Richmond’s bullpen catcher in 2018-2019. He was set to be a development coach in 2020 with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, and officially had his first year coaching as Fundamentals Coach in San Jose.
Athletic Trainer Tim Vigue joins the Emeralds, for his third year in the role inside the Giants organization, and second with Eugene. Strength and Conditioning Coach Nick Fajardo joined Eugene’s staff midseason in 2021, and is in his fourth season with the organization.
San Jose Giants (Low-A)
Manager: Lipso Nava
Pitching Coach: Dan Runzler
Hitting Coach: Travis Ishikawa
Fundamentals Coach: Jeremiah Knackstedt
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Chris Harms
Athletic Trainer: TBD
Lipso Nava is back for his third stint as the San Jose Giants manager, after managing the team from 2015-2016, and again in 2018. It’s Nava’s 15th season with the Giants, and fifth season as a manager. Nava spent 2021 as the Fundamentals Coach with High-A Eugene. He’ll be joined by Hitting Coach and former big leaguer Travis Ishikawa, who filled that role in the Arizona Rookie League the past four seasons. At Pitching Coach, the Giants have brought in former Giants pitcher Dan Runzler for his first year coaching. Runzler pitched in the minors and indy leagues through 2019, last appearing in the Majors in 2017 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. At the Fundamentals spot, Jeremiah Knackstedt is there for his second season with the Giants, spending 2021 with the ACL Giants Black team.
Also in his second season as a Giants coach with be Strength & Conditioning Coach Chris Harms, who spent 2021 with the DSL Giants. The Athletic Trainer role will be named later.
Arizona Giants Black (Rookie)
Manager: Jose Montilla – 2021: DSL Giants 1 Manager
Pitching Coach: Michael Couchee – 2021: ACL Giants Orange Pitching Coach
Hitting Coach: Mike McCormack – 2021: ACL Giants Orange Hitting Coach
Athletic Trainer: Josh Guterman – 2021: Richmond Trainer
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Joe Palazzolo – 2021: Richmond S&C Coach
Arizona Giants Orange (Rookie)
Manager: Greg Tagert – 2021: Gary Southshore RailCats Manager (American Association)
Pitching Coach: Mario Rodriguez – 2021: ACL Giants Black Pitching Coach
Hitting Coach: Craig Maddox – 2021: DSL Giants 2 Hitting Coach
Fundamentals Coach: Ydwin Villegas – 2021: Same Role
Athletic Trainer: Chris Gorosics – 2021: Same Role
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Michelle Kuda – 2021: Arizona Diamondbacks S&C Intern
DSL Giants 1 (Rookie)
Manager: Juan Ciriaco – 2021: DSL Giants 2 Manager
Pitching Coach: Osiris Matos – 2021: DSL Giants 2 Pitching Coach
Hitting Coach: Rob Riggins – 2021: Lackawanna College Hitting Coach
Fundamentals Coach: Hector Ortiz – 2021: DSL Giants 2 Fundamentals Coach
Athletic Trainer: Christian Fosler – 2021: ACL Giants Black Trainer
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Alfonso Tusent – 2021: Same Role
DSL Giants 2 (Rookie)
Manager: Drew Martinez – 2021: Florence Y’Alls Hitting Coach (Frontier League)
Pitching Coach: Luis Pino – 2021: DSL Giants 1 Pitching Coach
Hitting Coach: Juan Para – 2021: DSL Giants 1 Hitting Coach
Fundamentals Coach: Lisandro King – 2021: DSL Giants 1 Fundamentals Coach
Fundamentals Coach: Jose Medina – 2021: DSL Giants 1 Fundamentals Coach
Athletic Trainer: Pedro Wilson – 2021: Same Role
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Chris Collins – 2021: Los Angeles Dodgers MiLB Performance Coach
Player Development Instructors and Roving Coaches
Minor League Field Coordinator: Tony Diggs
Assistant Field & Infield Coordinator: Jason Wood
Pitching Coordinator: Justin Lehr
Assistant Pitching Coordinator: Clayton Rapada
Rehab Pitching Coordinator: Matt Yourkin
Hitting Coordinator: Ed Lucas
Assistant Hitting Coordinator: Jacob Cruz
Coordinator, Outfield & Baserunning: Tim Leiper
Coordinator, Catching: Lance Burkhardt
Coordinator, Pitching Sciences: Matt Daniels
Coordinator, Latin American Development: Hector Borg
Roving Hitting Instructor: Pat Burrell
Roving Pitching Instructor: Ryan Vogelsong
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