The San Francisco Giants announced a reorganization of their coaching staff and a new hire in Matt Herges as bullpen coach. Herges, a former pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, just completed a seventh season as a pitching coach with the organization.
Herges spent the past two seasons guiding the Triple-A Oklahoma City pitching staff. In 2016, OKC pitchers combined to set a then-modern era Pacific Coast League single-season record with 1,245 strikeouts.
Their 3.72 ERA ranked second in the PCL, and the pitching staff posted season-best marks in runs allowed (583), hits allowed (1,190) and walks (372) during the PCL era. Oklahoma City returned their entire coaching staff for the 2017 season.
The team ranked fourth with a 4.26 ERA, third with a 1.35 WHIP, and broke the strikeouts record by reaching 1,277.
Herges’ 11-year career included time with the Giants from 2003-2005. He went 6-6 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 118 games over those three seasons. The right-hander also pitched for the Montreal Expos (2002), San Diego Padres (2003), Arizona Diamondbacks (2005), Florida Marlins (2006), Colorado Rockies (2007-2008, 2009) and Cleveland Indians (2009).
The 47-year-old will be responsible for working with relief pitchers and overseeing their warmups and daily preparation, while also providing series advance analysis.
Considering Rick Honeycutt’s longevity with the Dodgers, plus bullpen coach Josh Bard’s success in his role, it appeared unlikely Herges was due for an opportunity on the Major League with the club in the near future.
