The Giants are set to hire Red Sox vice president of pitching development away to join their own front office, reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com (via Twitter). Bannister’s title with his new organization will be director of pitching, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. As Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe points out (via Twitter), the new position allows Bannister to live closer to his Bay Area home and spend additional time with his wife and two children.
Bannister himself confirmed that he’s moving on from the Sox, offering his gratitude to the organization (Twitter links):
Thank you to John Henry, Tom Werner, Sam Kennedy, and all the amazingly talented people in Baseball Ops for the opportunity to be a part of the Red Sox family for the last 5 years. It was a dream to call Fenway my office, and to be a very small part of a historic run in Boston. I want to specifically thank [chief baseball officer] Chaim Bloom and [general manager] Brian O’Halloran — they are incredible leaders and the Red Sox will be in good hands for a very long time. Thank you to the coaches and support staff, it was a privilege winning a World Series with you in 2018 and all the best in 2020.
Bannister, 39 in February, pitched parts of five Major League seasons from 2006-10 and joined the Red Sox as a pro scout after concluding his playing career. The Boston organization elevated him to director of pitching analysis and development in 2015 before naming him vice president of pitching development and assistant bullpen coach following the 2016 season. The Red Sox had announced after the 2019 season that they’d be going in a different direction with their pitching coach roles, though Bannister was still expected to remain in the organization prior to today’s news.
I think this is just a hard working intelligent guy.
He’s probably a good guy.
He’s probably not a bad guy.
But does he draw rave reviews?
Just a solid, good review. Good guy.
Yea he’s way too Nice and intelligent to Work for a Low Class organization like The Red Sux
Brian Bannister sucks at every job he’s ever had.
Nice and classy comment.
But his name is StandUpGuy…
Come in StandUpGuy!
Really!!??
Oh, come on… My name is StandUpGuy! Does anyone think I even know who “Brian Bannister” is? Do any of you actually know who “Brian Bannister” is? I’m pretty sure that’s just a codename for a CIA operative that has been planted just to make sure the Red Sox and Giants underperform so so they don’t win too many more WS. We all spent the better part of the last century thinking they were cursed and would never win again. If they win too many more it might upset the masses and make them react like they would if they were to actually discover aliens exist. Prove me wrong.
Well you sort of suck at posting and probably being a human being.
“Historic run” – the pitching staff has sucked outside of the championship year
He probably was referring to that year – it was historically good as far as regular season wins/playoff performance goes. It has definitely been up and down in the other seasons, though.
What about that 2018 season wasn’t historic?
Technically every moment of every person’s life is “historic”…
I can’t help but think “Floyd Bannister.”
Sorry.
Probably the new guy (Bloom) looking around the office and thinking, “Do we really need all these Vice-Presidents? Get rid of 10 of them (the Sox seem to have 30) and I can pay a decent utility IF”.
Bill James is gone, Tony Larussa is gone, methinks many more are to follow.
Bill James is gone!!??
Bad juju….m
Bill James ruined the true joy and essence of baseball.
Give me your address so I can mail you a check for $100 for that comment.
He added to mine.
Another cost cutting move by Henry, that is a expensive young bride he has to support.
Yeah, that broad hit the jackpot.
The guy has won 4 championships I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Name a top prospect pitcher who came through the Boston system? Name a pitcher who improved once he got to Boston? Giants front office is going to sit around and talk about how smart they are, and have nothing to show for it in 2-3 years.
Eduardo Rodriquez, Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, all drafted and developed by the Sox. Brewer was much better in Boston than he was in SD. Heath Hembree; samall sample for his time in SF, but he also developed into a nice pitcher. They certainly have developed more pitchers than a lot of clubs like, say the Cubs. Nobody as good as Rodriquez has come out of Anaheim, KC, Seattle, or several other clubs. Who has the White Sox drafted and developed other than Bummer?
ERod was drafted and mostly developed by the O’s.
Drafted yes, absolutely not developed. Totally raw when he came to Boston.
The White Sox? Ohh… maybe Chris Sale.
James Paxton begs to differ
This guy is 100% all about sabermetrics, so he’ll fit in fine in San Francisco. I think Bill James being let go was because he refused to show his work in the margins when he came up with his answers on who they should sign. You always have to show your work on the test!
Bill James retired and has farted more substance about baseball than you will accumulate your entire insignificant existence
It sounds like he took a job with the giants while still under contract with the sox. So this would mean the giants targeted him. Not sure where this narrative about the sox wanting to cut costs is coming from. As long as it’s a promotion he’s free to leave.
This is the guy who turned Rich Hill’s career around. He’ll have a cameo in the Disney biopic of Hill.
Should have traded him for John Barr. Oh well.