Earlier on Saturday, the Giants made waves when it was reported that the membership is “closing in on hiring” College of Tennessee coach Tony Vitello as their subsequent supervisor. Whereas no deal is in place at this level, the information nonetheless got here as a shock. That’s not solely as a result of Vitello has no expertise in skilled baseball but additionally as a result of Rangers particular assistant (and former Giants catcher) Nick Hundley had been considered as the favourite for the job all through the method. Shayna Rubin and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle supplied some perspective on that latter level this afternoon when she reported that Hundley truly withdrew his title from consideration “a number of days in the past” for household causes.
That Hundley determined to withdraw his title from consideration just isn’t essentially a complete shock, on condition that he additionally withdrew from the Giants’ managerial hiring course of two years in the past as a consequence of those self same household issues. Rubin and Slusser word that Hundley and his spouse have two younger daughters, which naturally complicates the choice to return to the dugout and tackle the rigorous schedule of an worker who travels with the workforce throughout the season.
What’s subsequent for Nick Hundley?
Whereas it’s attainable that Hundley might merely decide to stay in his present function with the Rangers, which presents him much more flexibility than a managerial gig would, Rubin and Slusser do point out that Hundley has been “focused by” the Padres in their very own managerial search following Mike Shildt’s retirement. Hundley and his household reside in San Diego, as Rubin and Slusser word, which might make taking a job with the Padres much more enticing from a household perspective.
The reported timelines between Shildt’s departure from the Padres and Hundley’s choice to withdraw from consideration in San Francisco line up effectively, however that shouldn’t be taken as a sign that the 2 occasions had been essentially linked or as an indication relating to the extent of Hundley’s involvement in San Diego’s managerial search. It’s not recognized at this level if Hundley even accepted an interview from the Padres, a lot much less if he’s a favourite to land the function amongst a area that’s already recognized to incorporate Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty and San Diego pitching coach Ruben Niebla.
Other than Hundley’s residence in San Diego, he additionally has deep ties to the Padres group from his taking part in profession. Drafted by the workforce within the second spherical of the 2005 draft, Hundley climbed the minor league ladder with the Padres till he made it to San Diego in 2008 on the age of 24. He went on to spend components of seven seasons with the Padres earlier than being traded to Baltimore in late Might of 2014. Regardless of Hundley’s decade of time within the Padres group between the main and minor leagues, it ought to be famous that he didn’t overlap with Preller, who took over baseball operations in early August of 2014.
