Melvin: 1st season with Giants 'probably the hardest year I've had'

Bob Melvin is disappointed about his first year as manager of the San Francisco Giants and didn't mince words in describing how things have gone for him and the club this season.

"This is the signature team in the Bay Area. This is everything I've dreamed of coming in here. And so for it not to go well - and my expectation was that it would go well - makes it probably the hardest year I've had," he told The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly.

The Giants pried the Palo Alto, California, native away from the San Diego Padres to manage his home state club last October. The hire came with heavy expectations from a San Francisco front office that dished out nearly $250 million in player salaries in the offseason.

The results haven't been there, however, with the Giants 7.5 games back of the final NL wild-card spot.

This is the second consecutive season a team managed by Melvin has performed below expectations after the high-payroll Padres missed the playoffs last year.

While Melvin agreed his 2023 campaign with the Padres was a tough pill to swallow, he also admitted this year has been more difficult because of his ties to the Bay Area.

"Last year was hard in San Diego because of what we accomplished the year before. But this year was more personal because it's San Francisco," he said.

"So in that respect, this has been a very difficult year for me. Now, it's not over. There's still a lot to accomplish with some of the younger players and the guys that we have leading into next year. But there are nights when it's very uncomfortable for me."

The three-time Manager of the Year is signed until the end of the 2026 campaign to manage the Giants, who have 18 games remaining on this year's schedule.