SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Giants have announced the following hires and promotions to manager Gabe Kapler’s coaching staff for the 2022 season. Mark Hallberg has been promoted to Third Base Coach, Pedro Guerrero has been hired as an Assistant Hitting Coach and Taira Uematsu is now an Assistant Coach.
“Mark and Taira earned these promotions through their consistent work throughout these last two seasons,” said Manager Gabe Kapler. “Mark’s attention to detail and selflessness makes him a great fit for the third base coaching role. Taira has been a contributing part of the Giants organization for many years, and he will now be able to make a larger impact in his new role as a Major League coach. His versatility and preparedness, as well as his established relationships with players and staff will make an immediate difference for us. We’re also excited to bring Pedro on board with our staff. He’s an excellent complement to Justin and Dustin and provides us with a way to better connect with our Spanish speaking hitters, particularly in the dugout during games”.
Hallberg, 35, takes over Third Base Coach duties from Ron Wotus, who retired from everyday coaching after the 2021 campaign. For the past two seasons, Hallberg has served as an Assistant Coach on Kapler’s staff. Prior to joining the Giants Major League staff for the 2020 season, Hallberg was the manager at the Giants Salem-Keizer affiliate in 2019 and a fundamentals coach with Salem-Keizer in 2018. Before joining the Giants, Hallberg was an Assistant Coach with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod League from 2014-2017.
A ninth-round pick by the Diamondbacks in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Hallberg played five seasons in their minor league system as an infielder who played second base, third base and shortstop.
Guerrero, 32, will embark on his first season in the Giants organization but it won’t be his first working with Kapler as the two worked together beginning in 2016 when Guerrero was a bench coach for rookie-level Ogden in the Dodgers minor league system that was run by Kapler. Guerrero served in that role for two seasons (2016-2017) and then joined Kapler’s coaching staff in Philadelphia as the Assistant Hitting Coach for both of his seasons there (2018 and 2019). He held the same role under Joe Girardi the last two years in Philadelphia.
During his playing career as an infielder, Guerrero played eight minor league seasons from 2006-13 in the Dodgers minor league system after signing as a minor league free agent in 2006.
Uematsu, 38, assumes Hallberg’s spot as Assistant Coach after serving the past 14 seasons as one of the Giants bullpen catchers and medical assistants. He originally joined the Giants organization in 2006 as an intern bullpen catcher for Triple-A Fresno and remained there in a full-time role in 2007. He was elevated to the Major League bullpen catcher role in 2008.
Uematsu is a graduate of Southern Illinois University – Carbondale where he earned a Bachelor of Science’s degree in Kinesiology with a specialization in Athletic Training. He’s also been a certified athletic trainer since 2009.