 Hey guys, how you doing? Thank you very much for watching and tuning in to all the GM Files episodes. So far, we appreciate it. I'll use sickos that love these deep cuts behind the scenes episodes. We got another one for you. It's Alyssa Nacon. Enjoy. Well, thanks for doing this. This is a little bit of, I know this was your rookie season as a major league coach. This is my rookie season of doing any kind of show on the other side of the interview. So, you know, you'll have to forgive my hiccups here, but I thought you're a perfect person to spend some time with. We did one interview recently with Jason Hayward. Nice. And so he was telling us a story about how he almost got traded to the Yankees. So he went ahead and shaved his beard and then the trade didn't happen. And so it was a great story. That is great. And I think one of the things I wanted to be sure and talk about is, you know, your experience of coming on board with the Giants, you know, initially, but you were still a student at USF at that time, right? I was, yep. I want to be sure and mention the sports management program there, because I think they're so critical to a lot of the Giants. Definitely. Entry points. And then, but then there seemed like when you finished the internship in baseball ops, because that was the first internship. Was there an internship before baseball ops? No, baseball ops was the first internship within the Giants, but I was working for the University of San Francisco's baseball team prior to. Right. And then when you finished the internship in baseball ops, was there then a transfer to a different department and then a gap, or is there a gap and then coming back to special events? There was a gap. There was a job that I pursued that I did not get the role. And so then I went and traveled for a bit and finished my degree and then was working for a different company here in the city and then was working on some different projects for different people in the Giants organization throughout the summer of 2015. And it wasn't until December of 2015 that I came on full time more like on the business event side. OK. And so one of the things that is interesting on the GM files is we talk about trades that almost happened, but then didn't happen. And so I think it was kind of curious in thinking about your career, how you were with the Giants, ultimately left the Giants after the completion of your internship in baseball operations. And then in essence, were you pursuing another career or were you pursuing just a different aspect of sports? Or I was still trying to figure it out. I I knew that my time with the Giants wasn't done because throughout the internship, I just met so many amazing people and saw just how much opportunity there is in a major league baseball organization. And so I didn't want to be gone for good, which is why I stayed on and helped with some pretty unique projects that year. And so I was but I was also really interested in the health and wellness and fitness industry. So that's what I was kind of spending most of my time on and working at a fitness studio here in the city and helping with the expansion there. And so that's kind of what I was thinking. Well, you know, baseball doesn't work out. Like this is another something that I'm so passionate about and it's part of my life. Maybe I can make a career out of it. And you always stayed in touch. So we always, we always, even though you weren't with the Giants, we kind of felt like it was, it was just a matter of time before you'd come back. What did you enjoy most about the baseball operations internship? At that time, you were a student at the University of San Francisco doing the sports management program. And a lot of great executives within the Giants organization have come through the USF sports management program, which is really exceptional for that program and what they do to contribute to the careers of many, many great sports people in the game and outside the game. Tell us about when you came to the Giants, what was the most impactful part of your internship? The most impactful thing was just the different personalities I was around on a day-to-day basis. I was very green coming into Major League Baseball and didn't know too much about baseball operations at the Major League level. I only knew it at the college level in baseball and in softball. And so right when I stepped in, I'll never forget my first in-person interview with the Giants. And Bobby, I don't even know if you'd remember this, but I was coming to the stadium thinking that I was only going to meet one-on-one with Clara Ho and I walk in to that conference room with the big windows and it's you and Yoshaia and Eric and Jose. I think it was 10 people. Everybody was male and then in Clara, of course. And I sat down and was like, oh, wow. Okay, this is like a big group. And everybody had so many different questions that they asked. And then once I got the job, I think what I loved most was that I wasn't, even though my label was intern, I felt like I wasn't just like put into a box to focus on one thing. The thing I loved most about the internship was the ability to work with everybody within that department and really get an understanding at a surface level of how baseball operations is run at the Major League level or specifically how the Giants run it. So getting to work alongside you, getting to learn from and work with Yoshaia, obviously Adam Needing and Jose. I just learned so much about not just the game of baseball but what they do on a day-to-day basis and what their different job titles and roles, really what entails those. And I think that was definitely the best part was also figuring out ways to add value for each of those, I guess, column sub-departments within baseball ops. So there was the analytics side, but then there was also the player development side. There was the minor leagues, there was international and I just loved every day, getting to kind of touch all those aspects and really see where I could add the most value each and every day. So I think about that time so often and that's kind of how I am today in my role, getting to work alongside so many different people and in all aspects of the game really. Yeah, well, Clare Ho another USF sports management grad and we took those internships seriously. I mean, we were looking for important people to play significant roles and obviously you did and you had a great college career at Sac State. I know you played multiple sports in high school but then when you got to college, you focused on softball and it's always been a passion of yours, I guess, huh? Yeah, it has. I have two older brothers and at a young age, I realized I needed to become very strong and very fast in order to survive my childhood with two older brothers, but I was put in sports at a young age and fell in love with competition and just that feeling of being around a team. So I mean, you've played in our company softball games and you can see me getting pretty competitive. So certainly. The last one was you had a walk-off base hit, I think. Inside the park home run. Okay, to be clear, right? That's impressive. That's right, it was a walk-off inside the park home run. And do you still play competitive dodgeball or have you had to put that aside? I put that aside, yeah. Our team broke up. I think it was early 2018. So yeah, we were pretty solid for four years and then we shut it down. So. Well, this role with the Giants, I think is such a key role and it's hats off to Farhan and Kapler for making this a priority but the culture of a clubhouse. We've just seen Joan Ryan write a great book on culture, baseball culture and it's so important and it's lost. It's really a big part of the Giants success for a long time but to have someone really dedicated to committing to watching out for the culture, certainly fits right into something that I think you're passionate about. Tell us how that first year went in terms of helping define that culture. Yeah, well, first off, just to touch on Joan's book, I think it's incredible because she really talks about how, you know, there's so many like tangibles and intangibles and we wanna make culture something that's tangible. So she is definitely somebody who I connected with in early, yeah, early 2020 when I got hired and just talked to her about her experience being in the clubhouse from, you know, media perspective but seeing the different teams that made up the organization like the different players that made up the organization and kind of just learning from her but this season obviously was just, we were throwing so many curveballs and we really just wanted to maintain the positivity and just like that competitive drive and we never wanted to hold up or settle. So I think just to kind of start out like situational awareness and context is very important when it comes to culture. So we as a staff, we're all with the exception of Ron Wotus knew to the major league coaching staff for the Giants. So in my opinion, I think that if we're flipping roles and I was a player and there were 12, 13 brand new coaches coming in from very unique backgrounds, I would just be really interested in seeing how they were gonna come in and try and kind of lead our team. And it's something that I feel like our staff was very, very aware of going in. We went into the season really having the context that a culture already existed within the clubhouse. We know that our players build the culture and it's on us as a staff to help drive it. And we took an individual approach and yes, like my role definitely focused on culture but all staff members, I think in any organization or any industry are responsible for driving a culture. I think just with my experience in different roles that I've had and kind of the vision that Cap set out for me was to kind of just be somebody that really kept a pulse on it and kept it kind of top of mind and a priority to make sure it didn't get lost in the fold. We can all come in like at the start of spring training very energized and excited to implement maybe a different way to approach practice or workouts than the team was used to. And that all plays a role in culture but I think sometimes culture and just determining what like how people are feeling in the clubhouse sometimes goes unnoticed when you're halfway through a season and something that I just kind of made sure that I was focusing on was how the players were feeling on a day-to-day basis. And so that's kind of where it all starts is really taking an individual approach. So we had to gain trust early on and maintain it and we had to really become the experts in how each player sees, thinks and feels about the world on and off the field. And then once we gain those relationships, gain that trust and you can start to roll out some macro themes. So transparency was very important to us. Cap has pretty much like an open door policy. His office door is literally always open and he wants players, staff, really anyone to come in and just talk to him about whatever it is that's going on in their minds whether it's good, bad or anything in between. And then I think when you're rolling out some of these macro themes to like competition was something that we wanted to focus on this season. And so it may sound kind of silly but we had games within each game this season. So we had different competitions from an offensive perspective and a defensive primarily outfield perspective. And it was just something we wanted to keep every day like exciting. And obviously we only played 60 games this season so we didn't get into the long 162 game season but we just wanted to go at this season having these guys ensure that they showed up every single day ready to compete and really like challenge themselves to get better in all areas of the game. And I think it's something that we checked in on. Cap and I and then Mark Halberg our other assistant coach, we met daily during spring training and then weekly during the season just on long walks around the city just talking about some things that we wanted to make sure were addressed. Some ways in which we were seeing things being handled and we just kept a pulse on everything. And I think culture is such an interesting thing to talk about and look at in all organizations but for us, I think the biggest thing is really just listening and then acting and adapting and adjusting based on what is best for the team. I love it. I love it. I just, before I forget, intangibles by Joan Ryan unlocking the science and soul of team chemistry. And you talk about trust which I think is paramount. You have, even coaches like Ron Wotus that there's constantly a battle to earn trust and Kapler, as an experienced manager and then a long time in the game as a player. But they're still an element of having to build trust. And then yet for those who were first time giants coaches, what was one of the things that you did to try to make sure and help build that trust? Because it is an organic process. I mean, trust is not given, trust is earned. You often hear what was your thought process and how all of the new coaches tried to help build that trust amongst the players. Nothing was forced. You didn't see, and that was something I went in like before I even met the staff. It's kind of how I was approaching earning the trust of the staff too. You just, we didn't wanna force these relationships or come off like too strong and stick our flag in this and say, this is how we're gonna do it. No, it goes back to this concept of culture and understanding that it had already existed. And for me personally, and I saw this in a lot of the coaches was just, you had to, you mentioned it, like build these relationships organically and get to know these players and understand that every single guy is different. And there's no cookie cutter approach to coaching. There's no cookie cutter approach to getting to know somebody. It's all like, you just have to kind of go with the flow and I think what, for me, just with my situation being a little bit different than the other first-time coaches, just from the historical nature of it being a female and kind of all of the attention and the media around that before spring training, I was very hesitant and I was thinking, gosh, I don't know if these players are gonna take me seriously. They only know me so far based on what they've read or seen or heard. And so it was my, I was very intentional about how I went about this and it was very slow. I wanted to just organically build the relationships, build the trust. Some were super fast, others took time and it's still an everyday thing that I have to think about. And I think anybody that's trying to build trust with somebody needs to think about. And so, again, listening plays a huge role. And then also showing up. And I think that every day these guys saw that no job was too small for me. Like I was so ready to hustle and set things up, take things down, do whatever sort of work needed to be done to make these drills as efficient as possible to make sure that these guys knew exactly where they needed to go and that everything was set up in a way that was most efficient in maximizing our time at the stadium each day. And they saw that and never once did I like take a break or like want to sit down or something. It was like, no, I'm here to add value to this staff in any way that I can. So this is the best thing that I know how to do. And that's work hard and be tough and just go at it. And the guys saw that. And I think from there they just, were able to see, okay, yeah, she's here to help us. And the trust just started to get built. I also think it was interesting just having this season without fans in the stands. I can't speak to what a season's like with fans from like a coaching perspective, but I do think that that was also a great way for me to really build the relationship. So much happens in the dugout during the game and in the clubhouse after a win or after a loss and just being able to all be together without media in your face constantly or fans yelling at you from all different directions or other engagements you had to go to, whether it was speaking or family or friends or whatever. We couldn't do much this season other than focus on baseball and focus in our clubhouse. And so I think that played a huge role in building the relationships and maintaining the trust. One of the things that you may not be able to answer easily because you weren't a coach with Baumgartner in the clubhouse. And then Posey's time in spring training was shortened by COVID and then his decision not to return. I mean, how much impact did that have on the culture to the clubhouse, the first year without Baumgartner and then without Buster returning for the season once the game started back in July? How much impact did that have on the clubhouse and that culture with really two pillars of that culture for a long time not being there? That's a great question. And yeah, I can't really speak to what it was like in previous years with Baumgartner there. And it was also a different staff too, right? So it's hard to pinpoint exactly what was gonna change the culture but I do know that Baumgartner had a very strong presence in there. And Posey of course, I mean, he's just a natural leader and he has a very strong voice and he's somebody that really sets a good tone even though he doesn't come off like strong or super vocal it just, he does the work, does it hard and he makes sure that he's bettering those around him. He was somebody that a lot of the guys could lean on. So when he did make the decision to opt out of 2020 we knew that it wasn't gonna necessarily hurt our clubhouse but it was just gonna, we're interested to see how it's gonna shift some of the dynamics in the clubhouse. So in some aspects it was actually a really great opportunity for some other like even younger players to really have a voice and kind of shine. Guys like Yaz really stood up in some difficult times during the season and then you were able to really hear from Craw a lot more and I don't know exactly how much he spoke out in previous years but he was definitely somebody that so many people leaned on. Evan Longoria is a strong, strong presence in the clubhouse. So I think that it was, I think people realized like, hey, Posey made the best decision possible for he and his family and it's on us to really like find it within ourselves to bring it every single day and continue to challenge each other just like he did every single day with us. So it was really awesome because there are so many leaders in that clubhouse and there's quite a lot of respect between the guys and between the players and the staff. And so I think also with Kat being the leader that he is and really ensuring that transparency was a key pillar in his idea of what constitutes a good culture that played well with this group. I know that the players appreciated the opportunity to go in and share their frustrations or share their concerns or share really good things that had happened to them. And I think just with that kind of being like the North Star, it just allowed for people to feel okay being a little bit vulnerable at times and then also feel really good and confident to speak their mind. And you really saw a lot of these guys shine. Well, Alyssa, one of the things that we always noticed about you in our office and we're a pretty docile group at times that you have your energies contagious. It was contagious even as an intern. I'm sure it was contagious at Sac State as an athlete. And I'm sure the clubhouse responded to your energy as well. And like you mentioned a number of guys who because of who they are, they're contagious in terms of their approach and their leadership. And I think Hunter Pence is one that always stood out especially during those post-season runs just how contagious his energy was. And it's exciting to hear you talk about even the evolution of new names and new leaders who will help shape that culture in the future. And it's cool that you're able to impact it in such a really neat way. I think as you look at the start of your career on the coaching staff, what are your goals for 2021 as a coach and as you look towards the next season? Great question because it's been great to kind of reflect on that type of a question this whole off season. And I think ultimately the main goal is to build upon the foundations that I've set personally this season. Going into 2020, it was brand new. I didn't understand the flow of spring training from a coaching perspective yet. I didn't know the players yet from a personal standpoint. So there was so much that I just didn't know and there was so much learning every single day. And that's not to say that won't be the case in 2021 but now it's like, okay, I have time too because I was hired in mid-January. And so now it's like these last few months Antoine Richardson and I have been able to put together some ideas for practice plans for outfield. And we've been able to just have a little bit more time to set up a structure now that we all as a staff know how each other works and kind of we get into that flow state of how we all work. So I think that right there is just great opportunity to expand and just build upon those structures. I think I also just want to continue to build and earn the trust of the players. There's so many players in the organization and I think that you can't just look at them at the major league side. I think it's important that we connect with and build the trust and relationships with the minor league players. Guys that are coming up through our system because throughout the season you're getting multiple players coming up from different parts of the organization. And you want them to be able to perform at as high of a level as they can right when they come up. And so I think that for anybody especially if it's his first time coming up to play it in a major league game there's a lot of nerves, a lot of jitters just because of the situation but we can control how we make him feel as a staff. And so I think that's something I want to do more of this year is just really connect with the players on our major league side but also in the minor leagues a little bit more than I did this past season and just really learn what works for them, what doesn't. And again, like I mentioned earlier there's really no cookie cutter approach to coaching. You have to take an individual approach. And so I just want to continue to understand our players a little bit more from an individual basis and apply those learnings so that he can get better whether it's outfield base running or whatever. He knows that these practice plans are tailored for him and it's not just like a blanket way of how we do things. So those are just a couple of the goals to definitely build upon 2020 and just the learnings that took place but then also really like get to know the players even more and from at all levels and start to tailor even more specifically our practice plans to each of those players. That's awesome, Alyssa. And as you observe those transactions during the year sometimes players coming from the minor league sometimes trades or acquisitions or waiver claims a lot of moving parts of the roster. How have you noticed your ability to digest a new player into the system or the impact of a trade or a waiver claim the loss of a player in a deal or the acquisition was that really tough this year just trying to manage cultural balances with roster moves because that's part of the game and it's part of how the culture shifts. Do you see yourself getting more involved in advance of some of those deals or just continuing to respond as new people come in? Yeah, I think it's definitely hard to see players go and every single time it happened somebody in the bus whether it was we were on our way to over in the middle of a road trip or something I just felt like I was always on a bus after we let somebody go and somebody had mentioned hey, that's the business and it's tough, you know you just, but it is and I don't think it'll ever be easy you just understand that that's part of the business and I think getting new people, getting new players I think my approach this year was whether it was somebody coming up like a Bassabe or when we had Justin Smoke come in I think what's important is what I was aware of right away was, you know again, we have a very overall pretty young coaching staff all fairly new to these roles at the major league level and all really, you know as any coach does wants to make an impact I think what I noticed early on was when people would come up to the team or be traded to our team it was almost like information overload for some of these players not just from like a baseball coaching standpoint but also the COVID restrictions and rules and all the travel I think it was just like a very high stress year and season and so I took that into account and had that in the back of my head constantly and so what I would try and do is really ensure that this specific player he knew that I could be the person he could come to if he had any sort of random question or needed to let off some steam or, you know, share some of his stresses or concerns or uncertainties and I think from there with those new players that's when they kind of saw like, okay yes like I have somebody here who maybe I can be vulnerable with early on and I think that's what going back to building trust that's what helped me build trust with some of those players but yes, you do feel a little bit of a shift in the clubhouse when you get a new player or when a player leaves and I think again, it's important that you do have a North Star or some key values that are established with your staff and your players so that those are things that you can consistently lean on even if sometimes you're seeing some shifts or waves happen throughout the season. Yeah, that's great Alyssa. I mean, it is such a hard thing. I mean, the, you know sometimes it becomes, you know harder to, you know to lose guys as you, the longer they're there and you know, it's important to have someone, you know, in your corner and I think being that role for the players is great especially as they come aboard or if they depart. I guess I know you've got a, you know sort of some time limits here so I want to be sensitive. What do you tell young boys and girls, you know that aspire for, you know big things, you know whether it be in baseball or in life or in business you know, and they look at you and they're like, you know, you've accomplished something that, you know really sets a new, you know a newfound land for or newfound opportunities for people that, you know for women really that just have been held out of getting opportunities like this and I'm sure there's many people inside and outside the game who just really admire your fortitude and your expertise and what you offer in the clubhouse but what do you tell people with what may seem unattainable or a very difficult challenge or goal for the future? What's your advice to those young people? I think it comes back to what really helped me as a player and that was always like keep it simple and do things well to as the best of your ability. I think number one, like setting a routine for yourself is so important whether that's, you know some sort of a health routine and you're incorporating some meditation or workouts or runs and then also setting aside time to spend with family or work on whatever type of a side hustle it is and that could be anything whether you have a podcast that you wanna start or write a book or a show. I think that, you know it sounds silly because we're talking about, you know taking huge steps in a career and making change but I think when I think like that I'm like, whoa, that's overwhelming but what I can control is my routine and how I, you know, structure my day and even though whatever day I set out to start it never ends up that way because life happens but at least like I have some foundations within myself that I know that I can control. So number one, I know that I'm the best worker employee coach teammate when I have a chance to take care of my health I'm incorporating healthy meals, working out all that. So I think ultimately that's a foundation that everybody should have. Number two, your network is so key when you're building your career and when you're in your career. I think that it's, yes it's important to have those people around you that are like cheerleaders and always like have your back but I think it's more important to have people that are not afraid to challenge you that are going to point out your deficiencies and also like challenge your perspective. I think that just helps you, it's hard because some days you like are just, man, I just needed you to tell me like good job keep going but no you have this person or these people that are like, well maybe what if you thought about it this way or would you regret doing it this way and just different outlooks. Again, it's important to have cheer, like my mom is, yes, the best cheerleader I will ever have but it's some key friends it's my fiance, it's people like you Bobby and other people in the organization that are willing to challenge you or if you say you have this dream or this goal of doing something they're gonna hold you accountable to that. And then the third is I think just how I mentioned in the baseball ops internship my favorite part was not being I didn't feel like I was stuck in a box and focusing just on one thing I think it's important that people don't box themselves in when they're thinking about a career regardless of the industry. I think that we fall so victim to labels and I think that once you just get rid of labels and just pursue what it is that you love doing on a day to day basis that challenges you that allows you to make a positive impact in the world whatever it is then that's what you should do like don't chase the title and this is all my opinion like don't chase the title don't chase being the first and whatever or having the biggest whatever just chase what brings you joy every single day even though some days you're like what am I doing this sucks but just chase what's important to you and what adheres to your values and yeah so those are the three things like a routine of really true solid, solid network and then thinking outside the box and committing yourself to going somewhere that is outside of the box. I love it Alyssa what's next for you now what we've got spring training on schedule right now mid-February what's next for you is it is your focus on 2021 or are you looking past and beyond 2021? My focus is certainly more on 2021 I wanna be the best assistant coach possible and I've learned so much this year and this off season has been spent just learning and connecting with people in and out of the industry and so I'm so energized and excited to go into 2021 hopefully on schedule so that's the focus but yes I think it's important that you think about long term but I think for me I'm just so focused on running a very efficient spring training so I'm working with Kai, Korea, our bench coach on scheduling out what spring training will look like and I'm working with Antoine Richardson our first base coach on outfield development and some base running strategies that we have from a technical standpoint and tactical and so those are definitely the main focuses is 2021. Well thank you so much Alyssa it's great to be with you and certainly wish you continued success and hope you have a happy holiday and a great new season in 2021. Thank you Bobby this was so fun I appreciate it and I think back to our phone call that we had when we were on the shutdown and you and I were just kind of catching up and some advice you gave me was just asked to be there whether it's in the cage or in a bullpen and just ask the coach hey can I just be here and observe? I did that I think every single day of the season whether it was during summer camp or even like in the season I was in the cage or I went to the bullpen or I stood next to Kai and I asked whether it was hitting coach, pinching coach or Kai or another infield coach like is it okay if I listen in? And I did that I think it was almost every single day and I just tried to pick up on a little nugget or two and it was great advice and I give it to other people that ask for advice and so thank you for that it was game changing. I mean it's great that you took advantage of the opportunity I mean you have a lot of great baseball people around you that you can learn from and then you're offering a lot yourself and so it's great to see the team come together and have a good season and hopefully even better season in 2021 but it was my pleasure it was nice to talk to you then and excited that you had the opportunity and sorry it got cut short but we've all had a tough year in many ways and we're all looking forward to hopefully brighter skies ahead and a vaccine and a baseball season and everything else. Yes I think we're well on our way so we're excited. Well my best to you Alyssa thank you again.