After one season, Bryan Price is out as the Giants’ pitching coach.
And after four years serving as a deputy, J.P. Martinez was elevated to take his place on Bob Melvin’s coaching staff, the Giants announced Friday.
It should be a smooth transition, as Martinez already possesses a deep understanding of the Giants’ personnel and pitching philosophy, having joined the organization in 2021 and taking on a broad range of responsibilities as the assistant first to Andrew Bailey and then Price in 2024.
The shakeup is the third within the Giants’ pitching department since Dave Righetti was shown the door along with Bruce Bochy following the 2019 season. Bailey took the same job with the Boston Red Sox after last season to be closer to his family, and the club also lost director of pitching Brian Bannister to the White Sox after last season.
The departure of Price, 62, shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, though.
A native of Mill Valley, a childhood Giants fan and a longtime confidant and coaching companion of Melvin’s, Price made it clear that the opportunity was about the only way to convince him to don a uniform and spend 162 games in the dugout again. He told The Athletic that he was offered a two-year contract before this season but insisted on only committing to one year at a time.
