The Giants must bolster their roster to bounce back in 2024 after missing the MLB playoffs for a second consecutive season.
For San Francisco, that now includes finding a new manager after Gabe Kapler was fired with three games remaining in the 2023 season. And apparently, they're on the right track.
The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser reported Thursday that Giants third-base coach Mark Hallberg has emerged as the top in-house candidate to fill the role. Others within the organization, such as bench coach Kai Correa, who was named the interim manager for the final week of the regular season, and former third-base coach Ron Wotus, who is now a special adviser to the team, also are under consideration.
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Slusser described Hallberg as calm, even-tempered and "well-regarded" by everyone in the clubhouse.
Slusser also named a familiar face to the Giants as a potential candidate.
"A former member of the San Francisco staff also is expected to be among the potential front-runners for the job: Donnie Ecker, the hitting coach for the Giants’ 107-win team in 2021, is the bench for the ALCS-bound [Texas] Rangers under Bruce Bochy, who won three World Series with San Francisco," Slusser wrote.
Hallberg, 37, interviewed for the job earlier this week, Slusser added.
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Giants catching/bullpen coach Craig Albernaz has interviewed for the Cleveland Guardians' manager position, Slusser reported, and could also interview for San Francisco's job depending on the outcome.
Last week, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi shared an update on the managerial search, stating that "there's a good chance" they would start with internal candidates and then begin reaching out to teams for permission to speak with other potential candidates.
The Giants missing the postseason gives them some time to focus on finding the perfect fit, but Zaidi anticipates having a new manager in place by the start of the offseason in early November.