Giants turn to Ron Wotus to coach third base, reassign Hector Borg
DENVER - With a laundry list of things that need fixing, the San Francisco Giants got one item checked off Friday, replacing embattled third-base coach Hector Borg, who has been reassigned to the organization's player development staff.
The new third-base coach will be the old third-base coach: Ron Wotus, who moved into emeritus status five years ago but who has been in uniform for all home games this season and who filled in at the third-base spot last weekend when Borg returned home to the Dominican Republic for his grandmother's funeral. That set of circumstances made Friday's move all the more difficult; Borg, reassigned to minor-league development, is well-liked and respected.
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"Hector is one of the most beloved individuals in this organization, and he has worked his tail off for years," said president of baseball operations Buster Posey. "It stings even because you know how much it meant to him to be a big-league coach, but what I noticed is that after the few mistakes were made, it's almost like the game sped up on him a little bit and it just seemed like he was having a hard time bouncing back from a little bit of tension that probably came with some mistakes."
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At 22-34 entering Friday, the Giants were already 14 games back in the NL West, just 2½ games ahead of the last-place Rockies. San Francisco was last in the majors in runs scored, with 204 going into Friday night's game at Colorado, so every mistake on the bases and every scoring opportunity missed is all the more glaring. The Giants had seen 18 runners thrown out on the bases, putting them among the bottom nine teams in that category, and seven of those outs had come at home plate.
Borg, 41, was promoted to the big-league staff after 19 years working as a coach, manager and most recently as a coordinator in the Giants' minor-league system. He has also coached in the Dominican and Venezuelan winter leagues.
"He's one of the hardest-working guys we have around, certainly one of the most personable and just high-character guys," manager Tony Vitello said. "He's been given a lot of opportunities by the Giants and this is one that, whether it was rushed or whatever it might be, he was kind of thrust into a big position, and I think just one thing after another it became a difficult environment for everybody."
Borg's tenure coaching third was not smooth, with several poor decisions, including sending Willy Adames from second on Luis Arraez's blooped-in single Wednesday; Adames had to wait to sprint until he saw the ball fall in, and was out by a good measure. On a road trip to Philadelphia and Tampa Bay a month ago, Borg first held Drew Gilbert at third when he appeared to have more than enough time to score, and the next game, urged Arraez to try for third on a liner he had hit down the right-field line; Arraez was out by several feet.
Adames and Matt Chapman are among those who have run through stop signs Borg put up at third, an indication that some of the more veteran players didn't trust his judgment.
Wotus, 65, was the Giants' third-base coach in 1998 under Dusty Baker before spending the next 18 years as the bench coach, winning three rings in the process. He moved back to third-base coach from 2018-21. He has since served as a front-office adviser and an occasional roving instructor with the team along with some pregame and postgame work on NBC Sports Bay Area's Giants broadcasts.
"I labored over coming back and doing it full time, but I just can't," Wotus said. "But it's great to be here with the guys, it's an honor to be on the field, and I love it, but there are other things in my life so the temporary thing was a no-brainer. Look, whatever Buster and (general manager Zack Minasian) need me to do, I'm here to help."
Mahle shelved, Lee back from injury: To make room for Friday's starting pitcher, Logan Webb, to come off the injured list after missing nearly three weeks with a knee injury, the Giants placed starter Tyler Mahle, owner of the highest ERA (6.04) among all qualifiers, on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
"It's a little bit of the same situation with Webby, something that's there for how long - I don't know if it just popped up (Wednesday or not), but he hadn't thrown his best, Webby was in the same situation," Vitello said, adding that an IL stint can "alleviate any mental distraction of, ‘Is this preventing me from being in the position I need to be?' If anything, it's a reset, get that completely behind him, and attack things with peace of mind."
In addition, outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (back) came off the IL and outfielder Will Brennan, batting .087 in limited use, was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
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