On Wednesday, the Giants announced the hiring of new manager Bob Melvin, whose ties to the Giants organization extend back decades to when he played for the franchise in the mid-'80s.
After Melvin's introductory press conference, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi joined NBC Sports Bay Area's Carlos Ramirez to detail why Melvin was the perfect fit for what the Giants were looking for in their new hire.
"Keeping tabs on Bob [Melvin], reaching out last week, I think the people in San Diego talked about it, and they ultimately wanted to let Bob pursue this if it was something that he wanted. With his ties to the Bay Area, it was just a natural thing. He talked in the press conference about how this has kind of been a dream job for him, growing up in the Bay Area and playing for the Giants, so really thankful that they [Padres] let this happen.
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Melvin was born in Palo Alto and grew up in the Peninsula before starring at Menlo-Atherton High School. The Bay Area ties continued into Melvin's collegiate days, playing baseball at Cañada College in Redwood City and the University of California, Berkeley.
The former catcher then spent 10 years in the big leagues, playing for seven different teams, including three years with the Giants from 1986-1988.
Melvin has 20 years of managerial experience at the MLB level, after stints with the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, and most recently, the San Diego Padres.
San Francisco Giants
Zaidi then explained that being able to bring in a manager with a track record like Melvin's was the ideal outcome for the team as they searched for their next skipper.
"For us, it was just the perfect fit," Zaidi said. "As great as our other candidates were, to get someone with his experience and leadership characteristics, [it] couldn't be a better fit for the Giants.
The impressive resume Melvin brings with him to San Francisco includes managing nearly 3,000 MLB games and appearing in the postseason eight times while earning three Manager of the Year awards over his decorated career.
After missing the postseason in consecutive seasons, the Giants now move forward, hoping that Melvin becomes a hometown hero by getting this proud organization back on course.