When it's all said and done, Bruce Bochy will go down as the most successful manager in San Francisco Giants history. He led the team to three World Series titles in five years and has a 970-959 (.503) record in 12 years at the helm.
That said, the Giants are in the middle of their worst stretch of baseball since leaving New York for the Bay Area in 1958. The Giants have lost their last 11 games -- they've yet to win a game in September -- giving them their longest losing streak since way back in 1951. The club is 68-79 overall and will soon be officially eliminated from postseason contention.
Despite what will almost certainly be back-to-back losing seasons, as well as an ongoing heart condition, manager Bruce Bochy told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle he wants to manage the team next season. From Shea:
"Yeah, I want to get back to the postseason," Bochy told The Chronicle before the Giants lost their 11th consecutive game Wednesday, their longest skid since 1951. "It's not my decision sometimes. But me, personally, that's what I love to do. I still enjoy this as much as I did my first year."
The 2019 season is the final season on Bochy's contract. Ditto GM Bobby Evans and president of baseball operations Brian Sabean. The Giants' longtime management team are all coming up on lame duck status.
"We evaluate the season when the season is over," said Giants CEO Larry Baer to Shea when asked about Bochy's (and Evans' and Sabean's) status beyond this season. Cryptic, yes, but, that is also standard ownership speak in situations like this.
After a 64-98 finish last year that landed them the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft, the Giants revamped Bochy's coaching staff, most notably moving longtime pitching coach Dave Righetti into an advisory role. Another postseason-less year could lead to more changes in the dugout. That is usually how it works in baseball. Fall short of expectations? Changes are made.
Bochy, now 63, is baseball's second oldest manager behind Joe Maddon (64). Clubs around baseball are skewing toward younger managers these days and the Giants, with it clear the glory days of 2010-14 are over and the team needs to focus on building their next winning core, could part ways with Bochy and follow that trend, and find their own Alex Cora or Gabe Kapler.
Whenever his managerial career comes to an end, Bochy will almost certainly find himself in the Hall of Fame one day despite what is currently a lifetime sub-.500 record (1,921-1,934). In 24 seasons with the Padres and Giants he won three World Series titles plus one other NL pennant. He is 11th on MLB's all-time managerial wins list.
