After succeeding in his second run through the Giants’ hiring process, Pete Putila was announced as general manager of the San Francisco Giants.
Putila was a finalist for the position in 2019, when president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi hired Scott Harris. But Harris took the top job in Detroit, leaving a vacancy for Putila to fill. And the 33-year-old will bring a track record of success in player development that San Francisco was clearly seeking.
Putila is a Giants employee, effective immediately. Meeting with reporters via Zoom Monday night, Zaidi joked that he’ll have to pay his own way to go to Astros playoff games.
“Through the interview process, I get to know the staff,” Putila said on Zoom. “I really think that there’s a real good thing going there in terms of staff just looking for every edge. Everyone gets along. There’s a level of humility that’s just impressive. The kind of team you want to be a part of. Also, ownership’s continuous investment in the team and players, from the outside looking in, that’s very obvious. The resources that are available are unparalleled, and I’m really looking forward to working with the staff to best deploy those resources.”
Involved in the interview process was Zaidi, manager Gabe Kapler, CEO Larry Baer and several other Giants executives including Jeremy Shelley, Yeshayah Goldfarb, Zack Minasian, Paul Bien and Colin Cahill. Zaidi declined to name specific candidates but did say the club considered hiring internally.
But the “consensus,” Zaidi said, was on Putila.
The town Putila grew up in, Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, is even smaller than he thinks. He described Carmichaels as a small town in southwestern Pennsylvania, with a population of about 5,000 people. The census has counted closer to 500 for Putila’s entire life.
Putila grew up a Pirates fan, hearing stories of Roberto Clemente from his dad. He played youth baseball and eventually worked as the student manager for West Virginia University’s baseball team while he got his degree in sport management.
In 2011, Putila joined the Astros organization as a baseball operations intern. He made enough of an impression to sign on full-time after eight months.
Putila stayed with the Astros for 12 years, until now. That tenure included three general managers and two owners. When the Astros cleaned house in 2020 after the sign-stealing scandal, Putila said he didn’t formally interview for the top job (Zaidi said he checked in with MLB about Putila’s potential involvement in the cheating; MLB responded that they never investigated Putila).
It’s still an impressive sign that he was able to prove his value to so many different bosses. Putila began as an intern and became Houston’s director of player development in five years. He left as an assistant GM, overseeing amateur and international scouting.
What separates Putila, Zaidi said, is his ability to “cut through the noise.” Teams use countless pieces of data, technology, opinions, philosophies, and other tools to try to win baseball games. Finding the important ones to hone in on, and streamline organizationally, is key.
“We think that ability is more important now than ever and can be a tremendous asset in this role,” Zaidi said.
Sifting through everything to find the most relevant information to apply is crucial. Packaging it so the message can also resonate may be just as vital.
“When Pete walks into our major league clubhouse, I think he’s going to fit right in and connect with people immediately,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “Pete’s really concise, he knows how to get through some of the noise and get straight to the point, but in a way I think is going to make the people around him — in particular, our players and staff — feel like he’s thinking about them first.”
Some specific qualities Kapler mentioned as areas he and Pete value: athleticism, power and speed. Traits the Astros have developed all over the diamond, and that the Giants could use.
Asked about his philosophy on how to improve a roster, Putila said “you have to hit it from all angles,” referencing the draft, free agency, trades and international signings. All can be found in Houston — where the Astros have reached the postseason seven of the past eight years — and all of which relate to player development.
“I think it’s really important on focusing on acquiring players we think are undervalued, players we think we can help in specific ways,” Putila said. “Based on what traits players have shown the ability to improve. It’s something we’ve done here in Houston. Really excited to hit the ground running.”
Putila is expected to play a hands-on role in developing talent both at the minor league and major league level. Some top prospects in the Giants’ system, like Luis Matos, Heliot Ramos and Hunter Bishop, had frustrating 2022 seasons. The Giants may need to rethink some of their strategies, though Zaidi committed to farm director Kyle Haines returning.
Zaidi has mentioned the importance of a fresh perspective in the front office. Buster Posey, the newest board member, helps that. So should Putila and his background in player development.
On Day 1, does Putila have any ideas for next year’s roster?
“That’s something I’m very excited to jump in on with Farhan over the next couple weeks,” he said.