Matt Herges Becomes First Member of Bochy's Staff to Find a Job Elsewhere

SAN FRANCISCO -- As they began the search for a new manager, Giants officials told the members of Bruce Bochy's staff that they were free to look around while they waited for a resolution. One of them quickly found a promotion elsewhere. 

Matt Herges was named the Arizona Diamondbacks' pitching coach on Thursday, officially ending a two-year run as bullpen coach for the Giants. Herges was a popular member of the staff and briefly served as pitching coach when Curt Young was sidelined by knee surgery this summer. Some within the organization thought he was the most likely member of Bochy's staff to be added to the new manager's staff, but the Diamondbacks provided a step-up for Herges, who lives in Scottsdale and pitched for them in 2005. 

On a conference call, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Herges reached out to him when it became clear that his future in San Francisco was murky. 

"We threw his name right in the ring and kept it there," Lovullo said. "Once we got down to all of our candidates, it was clear that he won the race."

Herges came to San Francisco after seven seasons in the Dodgers organization, where he worked with Farhan Zaidi. Like the rest of the coaching staff, his contract expired at the end of the 2019 season. A new manager is expected to bring in his own people, for the most part. 

The status of other coaches is unclear at the moment. Ron Wotus and Hensley Meulens interviewed for the managerial opening but Wotus has been told he is out of the running and Meulens is not thought to be a finalist. Young, hitting coaches Alonzo Powell and Rick Schu, and first base coach Jose Alguacil are the other members of Bochy's staff who may be in limbo. 

There have quietly been other changes as the Giants have looked for new leadership. Alan Zinter, who served as the organization's Assistant Director of Player Development for Offense was named Cincinnati Reds hitting coach, joining David Bell, his former boss. Mark Allen, who was a minor league pitching coordinator, recently took a job as the pitching coach for the University of Illinois. 

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