Giants Hire Former Cal Catcher Bob Melvin as Their New Manager

Melvin, who was successful over 11 years as the A's skipper, exits the San Diego Padres to return home.

One-time Cal baseball player Bob Melvin has been hired to manage the San Francisco Giants, according to multiple media sources.

The 62-year-old Bay Area native will make the trip home as the Giants’ 17th manager after two seasons as skipper of the San Diego Padres.

Melvin helped Cal to the 1980 College World Series in his only season at the school and has gone on to a successful 20-year career as a major league manager. He emerged as the front-runner for the San Francisco Giants’ vacant skipper job over the weekend after the Padres gave their NL West rival permission to interview him.

Melvin managed the Oakland A’s for 11 seasons through the 2021 season, during which time he often was seen at Cal sporting events, especially men’s basketball games. He also resided in Berkeley during that period.

A native of Palo, Melvin attended Menlo-Atherton High School, where he batted .529 as a senior in 1979 and was taken in the third round of the amateur draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

But he accepted a scholarship to Cal instead, and was part of a 1980 team that went 44-23-1 and finished third at the College World Series, the programs first trip to the CWS in 23 years. Melvin batted .269 with 12 RBIs in just 67 at-bats as a freshman.

That summer, according to a story on SABR.org, Melvin played that summer for a American Legion team based in Palo Alto, leading his team to the Legion World Series in Minnesota.

Along the way, one tournament offered 50 pounds of potatoes to any player who homered. Melvin hit seven and went home with 350 pounds of spuds.

Melvin never played again at Cal. Now convinced he was ready to play professionally, he transferred to Cañada College in Redwood City because as a JC player he would be eligible for the 1981 MLB draft. Had he remained at Cal, he would have had to stay in college through his junior season before re-entering the draft.

While enrolled at Cañada, Melvin was selected No. 2 overall by Detroit In the January 1981 phase of the draft.

A catcher, he played 10 seasons (1985-94) for seven teams in the majors, batting .233 with 35 home runs, 24 of those in his three seasons (1986-88) in San Francisco.

Melvin blossomed as a manager with the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, A’s and Padres, compiling a career win-loss record of 1,517-1,425 with eight postseason appearances. He is a three-time manager of the year.

Melvin directed the A’s to three AL West titles and six postseason appearances in 11 seasons.

The Padres reached the playoffs under Melvin a year ago, but there reportedly has become a rift between the manager and Padres general manager A.J. Preller.

Cover photo of Bob Melvin by Ray Acevedo, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo