Giants fire base coaches Roberto Kelly, Bill Hayes

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SAN FRANCISCO — Two days after a stunning collapse that ended the Giants’ season, the axe fell on the coaching staff. The Giants let go of first base coach Bill Hayes and third base coach Roberto Kelly.

Hayes, who turns 59 later this month, was in his 17th year in the organization and second at first base. Kelly, 52, spent two years in place of Tim Flannery. He was in his ninth year in the organization.

“We feel we need to grow our leadership on the field in terms of how we approach our base running and our overall efforts first-to-third, second-to-home,” general manager Bobby Evans said. “We want to look at some different leadership there and we feel like we can get stronger.”

Per FanGraphs, the Giants ranked 10th in the National League in BsR, a metric that tracks work on the bases. They were dead last in a division where games are usually not won with power. It is generally hard to make concrete judgements on the work of base coaches, but Kelly had several high-profile mistakes and was said to be in hot water behind closed doors all season long. The Hayes move was also rumored for several months as management looked for new voices. 

Evans said the rest of the coaching staff is expected to return. Team officials would not go into detail Thursday when asked about potential replacements, and Evans said it was too early to say if Kelly and Hayes would stay on staff in some other capacity. 

“We’re still in process with that now,” he said. “I can’t answer that in detail, we’re in process.”

The Giants are expected to look in-house for replacements. Shawon Dunston, Eli Whiteside and Steve Decker could be potential options, and popular Triple-A manager Jose Alguacil will surely be at or near the top of any list. Alguacil joined the staff after the minor league season ended in September, and he is the type of exuberant, positive personality that walked out the door when Flannery retired following the 2014 title. 

Flannery now works for CSN Bay Area and MLB Network, and he has said repeatedly over the past two years that he is happy with his new role and has no desire to return to coaching. 

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In other coaching news, Evans said one team has reached out about bench coach Ron Wotus, but it’s unclear if Wotus will actually interview for one of the remaining open managerial jobs. The Diamondbacks and Rockies are searching for new leaders. Wotus declined comment, saying he was still focused on the way the season ended. 

There’s one man who will certainly be back for years to come. Manager Bruce Bochy was hospitalized for a night in August, but he said that’s not an issue. Bochy signed a three-year extension in 2015 that kicks in next season and carries through 2019.

“I’m fine, trust me. I’m fine,” Bochy said. “My health really has nothing to do with the stress of this game. I did happen to get a bad gene from my dad and I’ll thank him for that when I see him. I work out every day. It’s not a situation where I’m thinking I need to take a break. No, I’m hungry. I’m hungry to get back to the World Series and win another one.”
 

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