MLBits: Ron Washington’s Backfield Return, Padres Bullish on Depleted Farm, WBC Broadcast Schedule, More ...Middle East

It may be February 12, but the backfields in Arizona and Florida are buzzing, meaning baseball is back. So is Ron Washington, arguably baseball’s best infield coach, doing what he does best on rookie skipper Tony Vitello‘s staff in San Francisco.

Tony Vitello’s MLB Leap, Ron Washington’s Backfield Return, and Why the Giants Are Betting on Both

Former Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello is officially entering his first Spring Training as a big-league manager after the San Francisco Giants broke from convention and handed the keys to the former College World Series champion. It’s a bold hire — Vitello, 47, arrives without major league or pro-ball coaching experience — but it’s also a fascinating one. College intensity meets the 162-game grind. Surely, Vitello will lean on the experience around him as he navigates his first spring.

That’s where Ron Washington comes in.

Nearly three decades older than Vitello and a pro-ball lifer, Washington brings 55 years of experience to Arizona backfields that already feel like home. Even after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery last summer, and after the Angels opted not to renew his contract following a 99-loss season in 2024, Washington is back in uniform, fungo in hand, doing what he’s done better than almost anyone in baseball: teaching infielders.

Ken Rosenthal had a great detail in his Wednesday column at The Athletic about Washington’s reputation — the image of him in Arizona years ago (then with the Athletics), waiting on the backfields at 6:45 a.m., cigarette in his mouth, ready to put in work with a then-minor-leaguer named Matt Chapman. That’s Wash. It’s always been about the dirt, the reps, and the craft.

Vitello might be the headline in San Francisco, but Washington is the stabilizer. For a first-time MLB manager making a massive jump, having one of the best infield instructors in the sport alongside him isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. The Giants are betting on new energy at the top and old-school fundamentals underneath it.

More on Washington’s next chapter in San Francisco from Ken Rosenthal:

Nearly eight months after a quadruple bypass, Ron Washington is back on the field with the Giants. t.co/mlj3ZeTa2X

Padres Keep Dealing Prospects, but Player Dev Still Sees a Path Forward

Is there a front office more comfortable flipping top prospects than the San Diego Padres? In recent years, A.J. Preller has treated the farm system less like a long-term savings account and more like trade currency, constantly cashing in chips to fortify the big-league roster.

The result is a system that now ranks near the bottom of the league externally, but that perception isn’t necessarily an indictment of the scouting or development pipeline. It’s more a reflection of volume moved. Just last summer alone, Preller dealt Leo De Vries (viewed by FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen as the best prospect traded at the deadline) along with Braden Nett, Boston Bateman, Ryan Bergert, and others. The year before that, Jakob Marsee and Robby Snelling were among the names shipped out.

And yet, inside the building, there’s less panic than you might expect. Mike Daly, the club’s assistant director of player development and a two-decade pro-ball veteran, sees opportunity in what remains. In a recent conversation with FanGraphs’ David Laurila, Daly pointed to players like Jorge Quintana, Kash Mayfield, and Kruz Schoolcraft as examples of the upside still embedded in the system.

Preller’s aggressive approach has unquestionably thinned the upper tiers of the Padres’ farm, but the organization isn’t conceding the future. If anything, San Diego continues to operate with a clear philosophy: contend now, replenish later, and trust the player development machine to keep producing the next wave.

Padres Assistant Director of Player Development Mike Daly Sees Promise in a Depleted San Diego System t.co/MCuruRQx08

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