SF Giants longtime coach Ron Wotus returning as special assistant

The SF Giants will have longtime coach Ron Wotus back in the organization for a 37th season, according to Danny Emerman of KNBR.

Marc Delucchi | Nov 28, 2023

SF Giants longtime coach Ron Wotus returning as special assistant /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants will have longtime coach Ron Wotus back in the organization for a 37th season. Wotus told Danny Emerman of KNBR that he will remain a special assistant to the front office for the third consecutive season. Wotus had a wide range of responsibilities last season, which included visits to the team's minor league affiliates and work with the big-league team.

SF Giants third-base coach Ron Wotus in the dugout. (2021) / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Wotus, is easily the longest tenured coach in SF Giants history. He reached the 2000-win milestone with the team in 2021 before stepping away from the MLB dugout at the end of the season, shifting to his special assistant role in 2022. Considering the fact that Wotus turned down an opportunity to be Bruce Bochy's bench coach with the Texas Rangers, it seems like his coaching tenure is entirely in his past.

Wotus has been in professional baseball since the 1970s, when he was drafted by the Pirates out of high school in 1979. A slick-fielding middle infielder, Wotus progressed through the minor-league ranks and enjoyed MLB stints with the Pirates in 1983 and 1984. Those were his only playing opportunities in the majors.

Prior to the 1988 season, Wotus signed a minor-league contract with the Giants, effectively beginning the next stage of his life. Wotus retired as a player in 1989 and began coaching with San Francisco's minor-league affiliates a couple years later. In 1998, Wotus joined Dusty Baker's MLB coaching staff, and he would go on to work for Baker, Felipe Alou, Bruce Bochy and Gabe Kapler.

One of the most respected members of the organization, Wotus was consistently working with players and coaches prior to home games at Oracle Park last season and was credited with an impassioned late-season speech. It's also easy to see how his wisdom could help younger coaches and players in the minor leagues.

Published Nov 28, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).