{"id":189,"date":"2026-05-22T12:17:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T12:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=189"},"modified":"2026-05-22T12:17:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T12:17:34","slug":"how-does-ron-washington-make-sf-giants-infielders-better-i-worked-with-him-to-find-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=189","title":{"rendered":"How does Ron Washington make SF Giants’ infielders better? I worked with him to find out."},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 I didn\u2019t need a full minute of working with Ron Washington to discover a simple truth: If he sees something, he\u2019s going to say something. He doesn\u2019t care whether your feelings get hurt in the process, either.<\/p>

Read more AI cameras scan San Francisco Bay to help protect whales from deadly ship strikes<\/a><\/p>\n

When class is in session, you follow the professor\u2019s rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mean this in a mean way, but I don\u2019t give a (expletive) what you know,\u201d Washington said. \u201cYou look like you got some skillset, but you asked me to help you with what I do, so just stay focused on that. Once this is all over, you want to go back to doing what you do, you go ahead. But in my presence, let\u2019s do what we\u2019re working on.\u201d<\/p>\n

That applies to washed-up beat reporters who haven\u2019t played since high school, too.<\/p>\n

Washington, colloquially known as \u201cWash,\u201d is a baseball lifer whose career as a player, coach and manager has spanned five decades. He signed with the Kansas City Royals in 1971 and made his debut in 1977 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where Dusty Baker bought him his first suit.<\/p>\n

Following a 20-year playing career, Washington has spent the last three-plus decades in the coaching ranks. He spent several memorable years with the famous Moneyball A\u2019s of the early 2000s and managed the Texas Rangers (2007-14) and Los Angeles Angels (2024-25).<\/p>\n

Aside from his portrayal in the 2011 movie \u201cMoneyball,\u201d Washington is most known for his acumen as an infield coach. Wash is a master of the fungo, a savant of the short hop. He\u2019s turned poor defenders into competent fielders, and competent fielders into Gold Glovers.<\/p>\n

In Oakland, he helped turn Eric Chavez into a six-time Gold Glove Award winner. In Atlanta, he helped second baseman Ozzie Albies and third baseman Austin Riley make leaps as defenders. In San Francisco, he\u2019s crafting his magnum opus.<\/p>

\n<\/div>\n

Before joining the Giants, Luis Arraez had graded out as one of the worst defenders in baseball. Under Washington\u2019s tutelage, Arraez hasn\u2019t just evolved into a serviceable defender. He\u2019s become one of the best defenders in baseball.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not an accident. That\u2019s Wash.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve long known that Washington is a great coach, but I\u2019ve always had a lingering question: What exactly does Washington do with his infielders that allows them to make such stark improvements? Because it can\u2019t just be the drills, can it?<\/p>\n

To me, there had to be something more. There had to be something about Washington and the way he conducts these drills.<\/p>

\n<\/div>\n

So, I decided to find out for myself.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

Washington agreed to take me through his famous infield drills during spring training, but we didn\u2019t get around to it until May.<\/p>\n

I have an OK baseball r\u00e9sum\u00e9 as far as reporters go, having played for 10 years and earning a Gold Glove during my sophomore year at Hercules High School, but I knew I needed to knock off the rust before working with Wash. To prepare, I\u2019d throw a tennis ball off a wall in my room and practice short picks to prepare my hands. I also needed to hit my glove, a black Wilson A700, with several layers of glove conditioner.<\/p>\n

I figured I\u2019d also ask a couple of infielders for advice. Matt Chapman, a five-time Gold Glove Award winner, told me to be aggressive. Casey Schmitt, who can play every infield position, echoed that sentiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrust your hands and just listen to Wash,\u201d Schmitt said with a smile. \u201cHe knows what he\u2019s doing. He\u2019s magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was time to see the magic for myself.<\/p>\n

\u2026<\/p>\n

Washington and I agreed to meet at 1 p.m. on May 8, but I had a feeling he\u2019d be early. When I arrived at 12:15 p.m. with Joseph Dycus, our news organization\u2019s Golden State Warriors reporter turned temporary videographer, Washington was all set up.<\/p>\n

As we walked out to left field, I asked Washington a question at the recommendation of the San Francisco Standard\u2019s John Shea: \u201cIs there such a thing as soft hands?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Washington immediately responded. \u201cThey say \u2018soft hands.\u2019 Has anyone ever given you a definition of what soft hands are?\u201d<\/p>\n

To prove his point, I grabbed a kid-sized infield glove and he flipped me two short hops. I lazily scooped both, and after the second grounder, Washington stopped me.<\/p>\n

Class was in session.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with what you did,\u201d Washington said before smacking my glove, \u201cis you just kept doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n

I assumed we\u2019d go straight into his famous routine, one where he feeds 96 grounders in about four minutes. Instead, we started with a 17-minute detour that allowed Washington to evaluate my bad habits \u2014 bad habits I didn\u2019t even know I had. Washington\u2019s main point: When I catch the ball, keep my hands moving straight.<\/p>\n

Do not<\/em> pull them up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what you call this (expletive) you\u2019re doing. \u2026 Once you get to the ball, you\u2019re finished. You don\u2019t got to do nothing else. \u2026 You\u2019re done! Why you gotta put some other (expletive) in there?\u201d Washington said.<\/p>\n

After fielding 88 grounders, exactly, we both kneeled on towels that lay parallel to one another. Washington put three baseballs in front of me: one to my forehand, one to my backhand and one up the middle. These were meant to illustrate how far out front I should field the ball.<\/p>\n

On that towel, Wash put me through the gamut. Dozens of grounders with the tiny glove to the forehand, to the backhand and up the middle. Some were thrown, others off the fungo. I fielded grounders on my knees for about 20 minutes before I got on my feet and transitioned to the \u201cpancake\u201d glove, a flat, padded circle with no pocket.<\/p>\n

Along the way, I made my share of mistakes \u2014 more mental than physical. Remember how I said Washington told me not to pull my hands up? Well, guess what I instinctively wanted to do when my concentration lapsed?<\/p>

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\u201cI\u2019m not saying that\u2019s wrong, but it\u2019s not the way I teach,\u201d Washington said. \u201cYou do some (expletive) I don\u2019t teach, and I keep correcting you on it. You understand what I\u2019m saying? And you gotta determine what\u2019s best. I\u2019m not going to tell you which one is the best. That\u2019s for you to determine. I know<\/em> what is the best.\u201d<\/p>\n