Former SF Giants coaches are making noise in new places, and two names stand out for very different reasons: José Alguacil and Ethan Katz.
Alguacil, who spent years in the Giants’ farm system as a coordinator and manager, is now getting credit for a Royals infield that finished strong enough to land every Kansas City infielder as a Gold Glove finalist in 2026. The results will be announced on November 1, 2026.
His Giants roots run deep. Early in his tenure, he helped Pablo Sandoval sharpen his infield defense, and the organization liked that work enough to elevate him to the major league staff after the 2016 season.
He then served as Bruce Bochy’s first base coach for three seasons. When Bochy gave way to Gabe Kapler after the 2019 season, Alguacil moved on, which is a fairly normal outcome when a staff changes over.
He joined the Royals as their infield coach and has held that job for the past four seasons. Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop is the headline name, but the larger takeaway is simple: a clean, disciplined infield usually says plenty about the coach running it.
That kind of season could put Alguacil in line for a promotion if the right opening comes along. Coaching promotions often follow moves to new organizations, though teams can also keep valued assistants by expanding their duties or giving them an associate manager title.
Katz’s situation is different. The former Giants assistant pitching coach is now available after spending this past season with the Astros.
Houston made a sweeping change after parting ways with Joe Espada, whose contract was up and not renewed. The Astros now have a manager search on their hands, along with a vacancy at general manager.
Espada is already drawing interest from the Seattle Mariners, and Katz was among the staffers who lost their jobs in the turnover. Jim Duquette of The MLB Network also reported that the Astros recently blocked Katz from interviewing for a promotion with another team. That possibility may still be alive, since the offseason is still in its early stages.
Katz first came to the Giants in 2019 as a minor league pitching coordinator, then moved up to assistant pitching coach before the 2020 season. He spent only one year on the Giants’ major league staff before leaving to become the Chicago White Sox’s pitching coach, a job he held for five seasons.
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