How They Got Here: The Story of the 2012 San Francisco Giants Part 31

How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general manager. Part thirty-one tells us a little bit about each of the particular coaches involved with the Giants team. 

Tim Flannery was born September 29th, 1957, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended Anaheim High School, where he earned all-league honors in baseball. He was a hot prospect in the San Diego Padres organization, and played with them from 1979-1989, where he accumulated a career line of .255 batting average, 209 runs batted in, and only nine home runs over the eleven years he played. His minor league success never transferred over to the major leagues, and played his last major-league game on his thirty-second birthday. Despite his lack of success, he was a fan favorite with the Padres, and the support he received in his last game was immense, from gifts to a standing ovation that halted the game. He again worked his way through the minors after his playing career was done, managing the Padres' Class A Short Season affiliate in the Northwest League, the Spokane Indians. The next season, he was in the Class A Advanced California League, managing the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He was then promoted to the Class AAA Las Vegas Stars in 1995. In 1996, he appeared in the majors, as the Padres third base coach under manager Bruce Bochy. He remained on Bochy's staff through 2002, and then rejoined him in 2007 when Bochy earned the managerial job with the San Francisco Giants. He was a member of the 2010 and 2012 World Series winning teams.

Mark Gardner was born on March 1st, 1962, in Los Angeles, California. He attended Clovis High School in Clovis, California, before going to California State University in Fresno. His major league playing career saw him play with four teams between 1989 and 2001. Working as a starting pitcher for most of his career, he began with the Montreal Expos. He was traded in 1992 to the Kansas City Royals, where he pitched for a year before being released. Eventually, he signed with the Florida (now Miami) Marlins, for 1994 and 1995, before moving along to close out his career with the San Francisco Giants. With the Giants, he began to be used as a spot starter and long reliever, and was one of two Willie Mac Award recipients in 2001 for spirit and leadership. He ended his career with a 4.56 earned run average as well as 1,256 strikeouts in 1,764 and 2/3 innings pitched. He became the Giants bullpen coach in 2003, and has held the position ever since, also earning World Series Championships in 2010 and 2012.

Bill Hayes was born on October 24th, 1957, in Cheverly, Maryland. He went to college at Indiana State University. His major league career consisted of five games with the Chicago Cubs in 1980 and 1981, but he was largely unsuccessful. His extensive minor-league career saw him do about the same between 1978 and 1987. He spent time as a coach with various minor league teams between 1988 and 1997, before coaching in the majors for 1998, and returning to the minors for 1999 through 2002. In 2002, he worked with the San Jose Giants as a manager, and earned the role of bullpen catcher with the San Francisco Giants in 2003. He is a two-time World Series Champion for his bullpen catcher role with the Giants, having been a part of the 2010 and 2012 World Series teams.

Roberto Kelly was born on October 1st, 1964, in Panama City, Panama. He played in all levels of the New York Yankees farm system between 1982 and 1987 before earning his first major league call up. He played as outfielder for his entire career. He played for six years with the Yankees, being named to his first All-Star Game in 1992. The next two season, he played with the Cincinnati Reds, where he was an All-Star again in 1993. He went to the Atlanta Braves in 1994 during a midseason trade. In 1995, he split time between the Montreal Expos after having been traded from the Braves, and then was part of another trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 1996, he played for the Minnesota Twins, and also for part of 1997 before being traded for the fifth and final time in his career to the Seattle Mariners. For 1998 and 1999, he played with the Texas Rangers, and then rejoined the Yankees in 2000, where he played his final game on April 18th. He owned an impressive career batting average of .290, while hitting 124 home runs and 585 runs batted in. He moved into a coaching role with the San Francisco Giants, and managed with the Augusta Greenjackets in the Class A South Atlantic League. He earned a reputation for promoting aggressive base-running, and on November 16, 2007, was hired as the Giants first base coach. He has held the position ever since, encouraging even pitchers to be aggressive on the basepaths. He is a two-time World Series Champion with the Giants, having earned titles in 2010 and 2012.

Hensley Meulens was born on June 23, 1967, in Willemstad, Curaçao. He was first signed by the New York Yankees in 1985, and was promoted to the big league team in 1989, where he crossed paths with the previously-mentioned Roberto Kelly. He was unable to replicate the success he had attained in the minor leagues with the Yankees, and they sold his contract to the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball in 1994. He played there for one season before moving along to the Yakult Swallows for 1995 and 1996. He was successful here, winning a Japan Series championship in 1995. He came back to North America in 1997, playing one season with the Montreal Expos and then moving to the Arizona Diamondbacks for 1998. His last major league appearance as a player came on May 14, 1998, although he did play in the Korean Baseball Organization in 2000 with the SK Wyverns. His coaching career began with the Bluefield Orioles in 2003, and then after two season there, he was the Indianapolis Indians hitting coach from 2005-2008 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He was the hitting coach for the San Francisco Giants Class AAA affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies in 2009, and earned a promotion to the big league team for the same job in 2010, helping them to a World Series title that year and also in 2012. He is also a valuable member of the team because he can speak English, Spanish, Dutch, Papiamento, and Japanese, which allows him to communicate with many players.

Dave Righetti was born on November 28th, 1958 (happy birthday!) in San Jose, California. He attended Pioneer High School, where he played in the outfield, before being noticed at San Jose City College, where his throwing motion prompted a scout to suggest he try pitching. He was drafted by the Texas Rangers but made his major league debut in 1979 with the New York Yankees. When he finally stuck with the team, he was American League Rookie of the Year in 1981, working primarily as a starting pitcher. On July 4, 1983, Righetti pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox. The next season, he began working as a reliever. In 1986 and 1987, Righetti was named to the American League All-Star team. After 1990, Righetti signed with the San Francisco Giants, and pitched there for three years. In 1994, he played for both the Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays, and then closed out his career in 1995 with the Chicago White Sox. He ended with a career line of a 3.46 earned run average, 1,112 strikeouts, 252 saves, and 1,403 and 2/3 innings pitched. Since 2000, Righetti has been the San Francisco Giants pitching coach, where he has been very successful in helping teach pitchers how to avoid giving up home runs. He is a two-time World Series Champion as the Giants pitching coach. 

Ron Wotus was born March 3, 1961, in Hartford, Connecticut, but he grew up in Colchester, Connecticut. He attended Bacon Academy before joining the baseball world. He appeared in a handful of games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1983 and 1984, but his career was largely unsuccessful after stints in the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants farm systems. He managed in the minor leagues in the Giants organization from 1991 to 1997, earning the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year title in 1997. In 1998, he was promoted to the Giants major league coaching staff as a third base coach, but became the bench coach in 1999, a job he has retained ever since. During his tenure, the Giants have won World Series Championships in 2010 and 2012.

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