Larry Baer’s SF Giants Hold the Pieces to the Puzzle

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Major League Baseball and its teams are ready to get back to the business of baseball. The San Francisco Giants won a history-making 107 games last season and they want to capitalize on that momentum.

“I think we had last year, from first pitch to last out, we had an amazing focus and concentration,” says Giants CEO and President Larry Baer.

The experienced front office executive sees the organization setting trends starting with its coaching staff. The Giants rewarded manager Gabe Kapler during the early part of the offseason with a two-year contract extension. The Giants skipper won the National League Manager of the Year award in blowout fashion during his second season with the club. The baseball pundits didn’t believe in the Giants at the beginning of the season, but Kapler led the team to a division title and he earned 28 of the 30 first-place votes for the award.

“I love working with the people in San Francisco,” Kapler says. “In particular, I love working with our staff and our front office. I really appreciate the opportunity to work with everyone across the organization. I feel like I’ve enjoyed getting to know our fan base and feel like San Francisco is home now. This feels like an endorsement of what I already felt, which is that I belong here.”

Larry Baer and the SF Giants: First Pitch To Last Out

One way to look at managerial success is based on what is done from first pitch to last out. Game management is an essential piece of the puzzle. Giants CEO Baer and his team also rely heavily on what takes place between last out and first pitch. How is the manager motivating the players when they’re in a slump and they’re on the team bus or plane? How do you reach a player who might not be getting the playing time they’d like to get? San Francisco saw Kapler address issues head-on with honest communication. They had a selfless clubhouse, which Kapler and his coaches fostered. The Giants love what they have in Kapler.

“We’re blessed to have somebody who is very authentic, communicates to the players,” says Larry Baer. “Kapler has just the right balance of giving the players discipline and autonomy. He trusts the players. He trusts them to do what they need to do and [he] sets the rules, but also treats them like adults.”

Kapler had 13 coaches on a diverse staff last season. One assistant coach who made history is Alyssa Nakken. She’s the first full-time female coach in MLB history and the first to coach on the field during a major league game.

San Francisco is anticipating another large coaching staff this season and Baer thinks other organizations will follow suit. Many teams only had seven to nine coaches a year ago. More isn’t necessarily better unless they’re being deployed in the right directions. Kapler has roles for everyone and is good at delegating. His assistants add value. Last year’s three hitting coaches all had varying responsibilities and complemented each other, as opposed to having overlapping duties.

Future Stars

On the diamond, Giants greats Willie Mays and Barry Bonds aren’t walking through that door. Neither is recently retired catcher Buster Posey, who stepped away to spend more time with his wife and children. Posey was a .302 career hitter with 1,500 hits, 158 home runs, and 729 runs batted in. His value to the organization and clubhouse leadership can’t be measured, but Larry Baer lights up when he talks about who San Fran already has on deck and ready to take over the catcher role: Joey Bart.

“[He is] our future, a part of our future, a good part of our future,” says the SF Giants CEO. “But the good news is, we have some other really exciting pieces of our future. Joey Bart, obviously a very high draft pick and somebody we have a lot of hope for and a good feeling for.

“We were thinking a lot about Joey and his capabilities,” Baer continues. “But there are others. (Heliot) Ramos as an outfielder, and (Marco) Luciano. Luciano may be of the highest ceiling of all, but he’s young and he’s a ways away. I think he’s just turned 20. So he’s a ways away.”

The Giants don’t want to set up Luciano for failure, but they love what they see in him. He has the five tools that organizations salivate over speed, power, hits for average, fielding, and throwing. He’s gifted with natural talent and extremely versatile.

The Giants were able to get some deals done before the current lockout began. They got two important pieces from last year’s team signed: Alex Wood and Anthony DeSclafani. Once the lockout is over, they’ll check out the market again.

“We feel really good about Logan Webb. There’s still work to be done, but I think Farhan Zaidi, Scott Harris, and Gabe Kapler will be ready to go when the signing season is opened,” says Baer.

There are three major players from last year’s squad they must decide on: Brandon Belt, Kris Bryant, and Kevin Gausman. All three played a major role in the Giants success and the team should have a strong interest in retaining each. Belt is a club legend, Bryant had a strong season, and Gausman was their ace. While it may seem unrealistic to bring all three back, the effort to do so should certainly be there. The Giants have the payroll money to splurge this offseason as they look to build another core capable of winning multiple championships. They’re banking on returning to their golden era of 2010, 2012, and 2014.

The 33-year-old Belt led the team with 29 home runs. The Giants really missed his bat and production in the playoffs, when he was injured.

Bryant, 29, would be a great long-term get. He was very solid joining the club and hitting .262 with seven homers, but his defensive versatility is what makes him so valuable. He started four different positions in the NLDS alone, not including his natural position, third base. That range allowed him and Evan Longoria to play in the lineup at the same time.

The 30-year-old Gausman found new life in San Francisco. He had a 2.81 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 227 strikeouts in 192 innings pitched.

The Giants added Bahamian shortstop Ryan Reckley, one of the top infielders in this year’s international signing class, and catching prospect Juan Perez of Venezuela to their farm system. San Francisco announced the signing of 11 international prospects in January as the 2022 international signing got underway.

Larry Baer Is Looking Forward to Opening Day

Once the players are finally in place, signed, sealed, and delivered, the next order of business will be getting fans to the ballpark. Larry Baer believes the Giants are better prepared than ever to keep fans safe.

“As we get closer to opening day, we feel like we’re well prepared between vaccinations, boosters, testing, masks, safe spacing as an outdoor venue, we’re well prepared to handle whatever gets thrown at us,” says Larry Baer. “Hopefully, we’ll be in a condition that’ll be minimal. That’s our dream, but if not we feel like we’re well prepared to invite 40,000 fans to the ballpark as we were able to do last October.”