The Giants in recent years have not been shy about targeting Bay Area natives, or the local kid who grew up rooting for the organization.
It just so happens that the latest local kid to join the organization is 61-year-old Bob Melvin.
Melvin formally was introduced as the next Giants manager in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park, and dawning the ceremonial orange and black jersey before answering questions from reporters was a special moment for the kid from Palo Alto who grew up watching an abundance of iconic Bay Area athletes.
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"This is kind of a surreal moment for me," Melvin said in his opening remarks. "I grew up around here, as everybody knows, an absolutely crazy Bay Area sports fan. Whether it was Cal and Stanford, whether it was the 49ers or the Raiders, whether it was the Giants and the A's, the Warriors. I was into it all.
"I was walking over here today thinking, 'Talk about full circle.' For me, this isn't even something as a kid you could even dream of, to not only play here, but to manage here, go to Cal, manage the A's. It's not something you even dream about. So at some point in time this will sink in. I guess putting the jersey on and the hat is partly that way, but when I got up this morning it just seemed like it was too crazy to even comprehend."
Melvin was asked what made growing up in the Bay Area so special and cited high-profile sports teams like the Giants, Oakland Athletics, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco 49ers and collegiate programs like University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University as an embarrassment of riches he appreciated as a local sports fan.
Melvin not only grew up in the area but played for the Giants for three seasons from 1986-1988 as the backup catcher to Bob Brenly. Those three seasons as a backup were formative for Melvin later on as a manager because he developed an understanding of what it takes to stick at the big-league level and what goes through the minds of reserves and players on the fringes of the roster.
San Francisco Giants
"I didn't play a ton while I was here; I was in the bullpen quite a bit," Melvin shared. "But I think what it did was it started my career ... It started my career and an understanding of I'm going to have to have longevity in this game, I'm going to have to work hard and try to see all different angles and understand at some point in time I wasn't going to be an everyday player and understand the role player.
"And I think as a manager it served me well because I understand what failure is, I understand what the entire roster is thinking, whether it's bench players, whether it's catcher, bullpen guys, starting pitchers. I kind of understood the entire breath of what it takes to play Major League Baseball games. And the fact that here at home it was very inspiring to be able to play three years at home. It just started my career and started believing that I maybe had a longer major league career ahead of me than when I maybe first got to the big leagues."
After leaving the organization as a player 35 years ago, Melvin since has made the trip to Oracle Park many times as an opposing manager, and each time he stepped foot inside the ballpark, he secretly hoped he'd one day get an opportunity to return to the organization and manage the Giants.
"At least once every time I was here, from the opposing dugout," Melvin revealed. "Larry [Baer] and I have been back and forth over the years too, kind of ribbing each other. But I think probably every series I would look in that dugout and look over at the other side and say, 'Maybe someday, hopefully.'
"Typically I run the stairs the first day of the series, so it gave me time to look around, look out at McCovey Cove and the Bay and all those sorts of things. I used to slide down the slide and then they started locking it. They didn't want me to slide down it anymore -- head first. But there were always times here, I can admit that now, I was hoping at some point in time I would come back."
As a Bay Area native, Melvin doesn't feel any extra pressure to succeed with the Giants. There's pressure for every manager with every new team. However, he did say that he does feel a sense of responsibility to help deliver winning baseball to an organization that is near and dear to him.
"To be back here and being in an area to me that is so important and the Giants are so synonymous with the city, San Francisco is the Giants and the Giants are San Francisco," Melvin added. "I don't think anybody understands that more than I do and nobody is going to be as responsible and caring and know that this matters to the city, what the team means to the city."
Melvin has a combined 30 years of MLB experience as a player and a manager. His contract with the Giants is for three years and would take him through the 2026 season. At 64 years old, it remains to be seen how much longer Melvin would continue coaching. He has given no indication that he's planning on retiring soon, but if he does decide to step away in a few years, his stint with the Giants could be the fitting end to his illustrious career.