Giants tap Winn to lead player development

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SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants’ farm system will have a new leader at the helm, as the club announced on Thursday that former outfielder Randy Winn has been hired to serve as the club’s vice president of player development.

Winn, 50, is expected to work alongside senior director of player development Kyle Haines -- who will remain in his current role -- and try to beef up a Minor League system that came in at No. 23 in MLB Pipeline’s latest rankings.

“I’m extremely grateful to [president of baseball operations] Buster [Posey] and to the Giants' organization for this opportunity to lead our player development group and help usher in the next wave of future Giants stars,” Winn said in a statement. “I look forward to collaborating with both Buster and [general manager] Zack [Minasian], and the entire baseball operations team to help this organization that has meant so much to me reach its ultimate goal of a World Series championship by helping lay the groundwork with homegrown talent that embodies the values of Giants baseball.”

A graduate of San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, Calif., and Santa Clara University, Winn spent five of his 13 Major League seasons with the Giants, slashing .290/.345/.432 over 666 games from 2005-09. He returned to the Giants' organization once his playing career ended, working as the club’s roving outfield and baserunning instructor from 2013-16 before serving as a special assistant to former GM Bobby Evans from 2017-18. Winn shifted to a pro scouting role in 2019, working under Minasian, who was the organization’s pro scouting director before being promoted to GM earlier this month.

Winn also has ties to Posey, who was his teammate for a few weeks when the star catcher arrived in San Francisco as a September callup in 2009.

“We are excited to see Randy in this new role,” Posey said in a statement. “Randy is part of the Bay Area’s rich baseball history and brings a deep knowledge and understanding of the game from his playing and post-playing career. He has also been dedicated to serving the youth of our community through his work and leadership with the Giants Community Fund, and we feel Randy is the right person to help take our player development to the next level.”

While the Giants’ farm system sent a wave of promising young players to the Majors this year, including Heliot Ramos, Tyler Fitzgerald, Hayden Birdsong and Landen Roupp, the organization currently has only two representatives on MLB Pipeline’s list of Top 100 prospects: first baseman Bryce Eldridge (MLB No. 35) and outfielder James Tibbs III (MLB No. 88).

The Giants have lacked a homegrown star since Posey retired at the end of the 2021 season, but Eldridge could have a chance to fill that void as soon as next year. The 20-year-old slugger rocketed from Single-A San Jose to Triple-A Sacramento in his first full professional season, slashing .291/.374/.516 with 23 homers and 92 RBIs over 116 games in 2024.

“It’s pretty incredible,” Posey said. “What is he, 19 or 20? He could pass for 35 probably, which was a little different than the way I looked when I was 19 or 20. But I think we have to remember that, too. He just turned 20. He just had his first full year, an incredible first full season where he got to touch a lot of different levels. You have to be excited for a guy that can hold his own with that kind of polished pitching that he was facing. He had a great year, and I’m hopeful that he uses this time right now to get some rest, build on strength and just continue to work on all facets of the game.”