Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt responds to questions during the Major League Baseball winter meetings Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Despite Gabe Kapler’s unceremonious exit from San Francisco, his former coaches have had no trouble finding jobs, including Kai Correa and Craig Albernaz, who both landed on Stephen Vogt’s new staff in Cleveland.
All told, seven members of the former 13-person staff weren’t welcomed back under new manager Bob Melvin, who brought in a few of his longtime companions — bench coach Ryan Christianson, pitching coach Bryan Price and third base coach Matt Williams — while maintaining some continuity with six holdovers.
All but one — quality assurance coach Nick Ortiz, who often accompanied Kapler on mound visits as a Spanish-language interpreter — have found new teams, with Andrew Bailey, Antoan Richardson and Dustin Lind making lateral moves as Boston’s pitching coach, the Mets’ first base coach and the Phillies’ director of hitting.
The biggest promotion came for Albernaz, who jumped at the opportunity to join the staff of his former teammate and close friend.
“He’s one of the smartest baseball people on this planet,” Vogt said Tuesday at MLB’s Winter Meetings, explaining his decision to name Albernaz his second-in-command as bench coach.
It’s a step up for the 41-year-old former minor-league catcher, who served as the Giants’ bullpen and catching coach and has been regarded as future manager material. Albernaz played nine minor-league seasons, all but one in the Rays’ system, where he and Vogt were off-and-on teammates for six years.
“I’ve known him for over 13, 14 years,” Vogt said. “We were teammates competing for the same position as players, competing for the same position as coaches, and we’ve supported each other and had each other’s backs. We’re not afraid to tell each other the truth. We’re not afraid to challenge each other and make each other better.”
“Again, he’s experienced everything you can experience in this game up to this point: been a minor league manager, minor league field coordinator, he’s been a major league coach, been a game planner. He’s done everything you can do leading up to this point. And he’s a hundred percent ready to be a great bench coach, and I couldn’t be more proud to have him standing next to me in every single game.”
Albernaz was one of Vogt’s first hires, naming him his major-league field coordinator four days after accepting the manager’s job.
But that job now belongs to Correa, the Giants’ bench coach the past four seasons. The role was vacated after Vogt’s original bench coach, DeMarlo Hale, was hired as John Schneider’s associate manager in Toronto and Albernaz was quickly promoted.
That means Correa and Albernaz’s standing in the organizational depth chart has flipped from their time in San Francisco.
“He’s going to be a great resource for Craig and myself in game, before and after games,” Vogt said. “I couldn’t be more excited to have Kai on board, and I really think with him it really rounds out all of our staff and that support for the rest of the staff.”
While Correa — and Vogt — interviewed for the Giants’ open managerial post before they hired Bob Melvin, Albernaz received an interview for the top uniformed post in Cleveland. Correa, 35, returns to the first organization that hired him from Division-III University of Puget Sound, setting up his meteoric rise.
“Kai’s going to bring a lot to the table for us,” Vogt said. “Obviously, what a great story Kai Correa’s coaching career is and how hard he worked to get to this point. Having four years of bench coach experience and then transitioning to the field coordinator, he’s going to be such a great resource for our infield coach, outfield coach (and) base running coach.”
Melvin’s staff
When the Giants brought in Melvin, the perception was that the veteran manager would provide some pushback to an analytically inclined front office. But really, Melvin brings a blend of old- and new-school, no better represented than in his coaching staff.
“Myself, Bryan Price, Matt Williams, bringing in some coaches that might be a little bit more I don’t want to say old school, we’re just old,” Melvin said, drawing laughs. “And we have been doing this for a while. So I think you’re always looking for the right balance. I think Farhan (Zaidi) did this for a reason.”
Melvin spent 11 years in Oakland, where he worked with Billy Beane — and Zaidi.
“Billy Beane is great about encouraging pushback. So he always wants to try to get to the right place,” Melvin said. “The traditional baseball guys who have played and analytics guys, there’s the right place to be. And that’s the way Farhan is too here.”
Price, perhaps, has brought the biggest cultural shift to the pitching department, where he has indicated he plans to ride his starters. Melvin, though, said there is a time and a place for limiting innings, comparing Jesus Luzardo’s early usage in Oakland to that of Kyle Harrison last season.
On the hitting side, Melvin said Pat Burrell is already working well with Justin Viele and Pedro Guerrero. Burrell was one of two internal promotions to the staff, along with new bullpen coach Garvin Alston, and has worked with many of the Giants’ young hitters.
“That’s a really good group, it feels like, together,” Melvin said. “Pat’s done everything he can to not force himself in, but it’s more about the group than one particular guy. …That (hire) was kind of an easy one after talking to him too. Kind of a different guy than when he played. He understands now too that it’s not about you, it’s about the players and you need to build relationships with these guys, there has to be trust.
“Doesn’t hurt that he was a big-time player and they can look at the back of his baseball card and it resonates with ’em. So a lot of good things to like about him.”
As for Alyssa Nakken, who also interviewed for the manager’s job, Melvin was still uncertain if her pregnancy would cause her to miss any or all of spring training.
But, he said, the groundbreaking assistant coach is already proving invaluable.
“Getting to know her now and communicating with her, man, she’s trying to make everything as easy on the coaching staff as possible,” Melvin said. “Especially the guys that have just come, whether it’s getting together with the analytic department, scheduling stuff, we’re already talking about spring training, and she’s — that’s a role that she’s, you know, been part of and will be with us.
“She’s just a great resource, especially for the guys that haven’t been here to kind of make ’em feel comfortable and this is the way we do things here, put ’em in touch with the right people. She’s on everything.”
Originally published at Evan Webeck