Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
One side effect of building a coaching staff the Giants were deeply proud of is the poaching that follows.
It has begun. The Giants are losing assistant pitching coach Ethan Katz, who is getting a promotion and will be named the White Sox pitching coach, as Barstool Sports first reported Thursday.
For Katz, the move reunites him with Chicago ace Lucas Giolito, whom he coached at Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles (where he also coached Max Fried and Jack Flaherty). Giolito and Katz are close, which likely played a factor in the White Sox and Tony La Russa zeroing in on the 37-year-old from Santa Clarita.
2020 was Katz’s first season on the major league staff and second in the Giants organization, having served as the assistant pitching coordinator in the minor leagues previously. The Giants had plucked him from the Mariners, and he coached with the Angels before that. He’s deep into advanced analytics, which must be a hopeful sign for White Sox fans worried about the old-school La Russa.
Katz was well-liked around the Giants, several pitchers (and catchers) speaking highly of him. He was below pitching coach Andrew Bailey and pitching director Brian Bannister in the hierarchy.
The Giants have been public and effusive in their praise of Gabe Kapler’s 13-person coaching staff from last season, with good reason. Thus far, only Ron Wotus is confirmed to be returning.
