In surprising report, one of the San Francisco Giants past catchers is in the running to become a Major League manager.
The San Francisco Giants are finally starting to look like the team they were projected to be after the front office spent aggressively to overhaul this roster during the offseason in pursuit of a playoff appearance.
With a four-game sweep against the Colorado Rockies over the weekend, they are now two contests under .500 and sit 3.5 back of the final Wild Card spot.
At this time of the year, most of the insiders are gathering information about what might take place ahead of the trade deadline on July 30.
Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY was sharing some information he has been hearing regarding activity around the league on the trade front, but he also dropped a little nugget of information regarding one of the former Giants catchers and the possibility he becomes a Major League manager next season.
“Former All-Star catcher A.J. Pierzynski has quietly emerged as a serious candidate to manage the Chicago White Sox in 2025 if they dismiss manager Pedro Grifol after the season, as expected,” he writes.
This is surprising.
While the Southside legend and 2005 World Series champion has stayed close to the game by being an analyst for Fox Sports and hosting his baseball centric podcast “Foul Territory,” he has zero experience in professional baseball as a coach or manager.
A.J. Pierzynski was also in an ambassador role for the team previously, but stated he stepped down from that position because of frustrations he has with the organization.
The Chicago White Sox haven’t shied away from hiring former players in the past, and perhaps the success they’ve seen Cleveland Guardians first-year manager Stephen Voigt have this season after entering that position with no prior experience quiets some of the concerns they might have.
There’s no doubt that Pierzynski is a brilliant baseball mind, evident by what he did behind the plate during his playing days and how he discusses the game in his media roles.
However, the question is if that will translate into a Major League dugout.
Prior to becoming a White Sox legend, the current 47-year-old was traded to San Francisco from the Minnesota Twins prior to the 2004 season in exchange for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser.
The 19-year veteran had the worst full-time season of his career to that point during his time with the Giants. He slashed .272/.319/.410 with 11 homers, 77 RBI and an OPS+ of 86.
Pierzynski then left in free agency, joining Chicago for $2.25 million which begun his eight-year tenure with the White Sox that saw him win a World Series title, earn an All-Star Game selection, and get some MVP votes.
Now, it sounds like there is a real possibility he returns to that franchise in a managerial role.
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