San Francisco Giants: Top 7 candidates to replace Bruce Bochy

7. Mike Matheny

It still remains to be seen just how many managerial spots will be vacant this offseason as teams try to reshuffle the deck. Whenever that happens, experienced managers get their name thrown into the hat.

Mike Matheny falls into that category.

First and foremost, Matheny has some connection already with the Giants. He finished his career in San Francisco after a relative power surge in his career.

He was able to land the Willie Mac Award, awarded to the player that best embodies spirit and leadership in the clubhouse. That went along with a franchise record .999 fielding percentage behind the plate in his 2005 season.

Despite his success in year one of his contract, a serious of foul balls off the mask landed him on the disabled list the following season, leading to a premature retirement because of post-concussion syndrome.

To the rest of the baseball world, Matheny will be immediately remembered for his tenure with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was able to lead the team to four consecutive playoff appearances in his first four years as manager.

In his second year as a manager with St. Louis, Matheny led the team to an NL Pennant.

Looking exclusively at his success on paper, Matheny put together a 591-474 record, four playoff appearances, five different seasons of 85+ wins, and did not once have a season where he managed a club below .500. All in six and a half seasons.

That’s a tough resume to pass up on.

But there seems to be a catch with Matheny. The Cardinals cut ties with him in his seventh season after starting the year 47-46.

And it was an easy call for St. Louis.

Why? The red flags had mounted and the relationship between the clubhouse and their manager was beyond repair. The leadership that Matheny had shown in his first few years as manager had quickly vanished.

Matheny was labeled as being completely hopeless when the Cardinals finally cut ties with him.

He had double standards for players in the clubhouse, showed clear bias toward veteran players, was completely aloof when it came to pitching and bullpen management, and completely dehumanized some of the players who looked to him to lead.

Matheny had Cardinals fans groaning on a consistent basis, even when the team was successful. And, in retrospect, fans wonder just how much of Matheny’s success in his early years of manager was the result of timeliness and nothing more.

When it comes to how he might fit in as a potential Giants manager, there are even more red flags to consider.

The biggest difference of opinions between Zaidi and Matheny will surely be how to evaluate the modern game. Matheny still banks on traditional stats like pitcher wins and saves, remains rigid in bullpen roles, and downplays advanced analytics.

That has to be a far cry from what Zaidi and the front office are after.

Matheny is currently with the Kansas City Royals as a “special advisor” which might as well be translated to “heir to the managerial throne once Ned Yost is gone.”

Still, he might get some calls this offseason to sit down for an interview or two.

But the Giants should stay far away. He hasn’t changed his ways at all, and he still shows the same biases and problematic old school standards that are archaic at best and downright useless at worst.

Matheny could seriously stunt the growth and development of young prospects in favor of the old guard — the precise last thing that the Giants need at this point in their franchise history.

The Cardinals surely don’t miss him. And Giants fans shouldn’t feel like they’re missing out if he doesn’t even land a serious interview.