The San Francisco Giants shocked the baseball world last month when the team hired Tony Vitello as its new manager. It marked the first time a college baseball coach with no professional experience landed a job as a Major League manager.

While the move is unprecedented, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey is making sure Vitello has an experienced support system in place. Posey is hiring former Giants manager Bruce Bochy as a special assistant to the team, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.

Bochy won three World Series titles as the Giants’ manager from 2007-2019. He then won a fourth championship as the Texas Rangers’ skipper in 2023. Now Bochy is finalizing a deal to return to San Francisco in an advisory role.

Giants hire Bruce Bochy as special assistant

Bochy and the Rangers mutually parted ways after the 2025 season. The veteran manager spent three years with Texas. After an unexpected World Series win in his debut, the Rangers missed the playoffs the last two seasons.

The Giants have missed the postseason for four straight years. The team has only qualified for the playoffs once in the last nine seasons. Posey, who took over baseball operations in San Francisco after the 2024 campaign, decided the Giants needed to try something new.

The former catcher hired the inexperienced Vitello as the club’s manager after firing Bob Melvin. But Posey is surrounding Vitello with valuable resources. The Giants hired Dusty Baker as a special assistant last year. And now Bochy will join the front office.

Between them, Bochy and Baker have 54 years of experience as MLB managers. They boast a combined five World Series titles, 4,435 regular season wins and 22 playoff appearances.