New San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello is reportedly close to making his first major addition to the team’s coaching staff. Former Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington is reportedly joining the Giants as the team’s infield coach, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.<\/p>\n
Washington, 73, managed the Angels for two seasons before the team parted ways with him<\/a> at the end of the 2025 season. He was limited to just 74 games with the team last season due to heart surgery<\/a>. Washington intended to return for the 2026 season prior to his dismissal.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n While Washington’s tenure with the Angels didn’t go as planned \u2014 he had a .419 winning percentage over two seasons \u2014 he’s been a successful manager in the past. In eight seasons with the Texas Rangers, Washington posted a .521 winning percentage and led the team to two straight World Series appearances.<\/p>\n [Get more Giants news: San Francisco team feed<\/a>] <\/p>\n With a managerial job not in the cards for Washington this offseason, he’ll revert back to coaching infielders. It’s a role Washington has mastered over his career. The longtime coach is considered one of the best \u2014 if not the best \u2014 infield gurus around. He’s been credited with turning around a number of fielders, with one of his biggest wins being Marcus Semien, who drastically improved his defense when he and Washington worked together with the Athletics.<\/p>\n Washington was also the “Wash” referenced in the “Moneyball” scene with Scott Hatteberg. And while that’s a fictionalized version of what happened, Washington was the team’s infield coach when Hatteberg made the transition from catcher to first base.<\/p>\n Also, apparently the scene in question wasn’t that fictionalized, as Washington said it played out similarly <\/a>in real life.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n