A Personal intro of the Special Guest at KZV Armenian School’s 45th Annual Benefit Gala
BY ARMAN ARCHOUNIANI
Special to Asbarez
From growing up in the big-league clubhouses as a child, to becoming the General Manager of the San Francisco Giants, Zack Minasian has loved the game of baseball.
Minasian is the youngest of four boys, Calvin, Perry, and Rudy. Baseball was always the center of their lives. Their father, Zack Minasian Sr., was a longtime clubhouse manager with the Texas Rangers and introduced his sons to the game of baseball. The young Minasian boys were not just there to hang out with MLB legends, they were put to work: they helped with loading and unloading the truck upon the team’s arrival and departure, cleaned cleats, picked up laundry, and even cleaned bathrooms.
Minasian grew his love for the game as he played baseball in high school. His dream was to play at the highest level; however, he realized that making the MLB as a player was not realistic. So, he decided early on to work within the game to stay connected to the world of baseball.
“I don’t think I was good enough to play Division 1, maybe I could have played Division 2, but I felt I was at a crossroads, where if I wanted to go do that, I was going to probably go to a smaller school that wasn’t necessarily going to be a higher education type of school,” Minasian said. “I made that decision to continue to go to school, live at home, and continue to work in the game. At that point I was laser focused on, ‘Can I get an opportunity to work in the front office and just see where it goes’.”
Motivation and inspiration were not hard for Minasian to find. Being the youngest sibling, he always looked up to his brothers and especially his parents. The work ethic he saw on display on a day-to-day basis was an incentive for him to put his best step forward in everything he put his mind to. He wanted to make sure the name of his family was well represented. He did not want to disappoint them.
“I think at least I was looking up to all of them, maybe this is another Armenian thing, but I did not want to let them down,” Minasian said. “I kind of pushed myself to do well because I am not representing Zack as much as I am representing Minasian.”
Minasian got to see the best of the best during his time in the big-league clubhouses. He met many influential people who made an impact in the professional baseball world. He highlighted Bobby Valentine, former MLB player and manager, Doug Melvin, who was the general manager of the Texas Rangers, and his Godfather, the famous Los Angeles Dodgers manager, Tommy Lasorda.
Many MLB players came through those clubhouses, but watching Cal Ripken and his son play football in the clubhouse, throwing a football with Jose Canseco, and playing cards with Bo Jackson, are memories that Minasian will cherish forever. Another fond memory that Minasian shared was the time when he and his brother Perry would get a white sock, turn it into a ball, tape it up and play stickball with Ken Griffey outside the clubhouse.
Family has always been a big part of Minasian’s life. Being originally from Evanston, Illinois, Minasian always felt a great sense of Armenian community especially in Chicago. However, that changed when he ended up going to Texas.
“We are a very tight knit Armenian family, my great-grandfather helped build the Armenian church in Evanston, Illinois, we were very close with that community, and to leave that and go to Texas, where people didn’t even know what Armenian was, was very different,” Minasian said.
Minasian recalls always travelling back to Chicago to visit his grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Together with his brothers, Minasian went to an annual Midwest Armenian camp where he and his brother Perry eventually met their future wives. Their connection to the Armenian community there still stays very strong to date. Now, Minasian is looking forward to strengthening his ties with the Armenian community in the Bay Area.
Being the General Manager of the San Francisco Giants is a remarkable achievement, but making history in the process is unique. Minasian and his brother Perry are the first pair of siblings to be General Managers of MLB teams simultaneously. Perry is the current general manager of the Los Angeles Angels.
“I think I’ll look back on it later in life and realize how special it is to me. I can certainly see it now for my parents and my brothers who I think are very much a part of this,” Minasian said. “The one time it struck me was, I was thinking if my son and Perry’s son were both in that role, that would be insane, so it’s probably as far as I’ve gotten, thinking about just how special it is, but I try not to think about it, I’m sure there’s going to be a day where I reflect.”
Minasian reminisces about his grandmother who passed away at the age of 98 earlier this year, whose house was always special to his family.
“Grandma’s house was home base. Every Sunday it was ‘show up’ and if you didn’t, Grandma is going to wonder why. It’s probably the one thing I really missed moving out of Milwaukee and coming to San Francisco,” Minasian said.
Armenians can always relate to each other, one way or another. When an Armenian meets another one away from their homes, they connect immediately with each other and build a sense of family love. This is something all Armenians cherish as a collective.
“Being around the community, you end up making friends who become family, and that has been pretty special. It’s hard to explain it, but you kind of know when you feel it. There’s this bond and it means a lot,” Minasian said. “No matter where you’re at in life, physically, mentally, emotionally, it’s nice to be able to have someone, even if you don’t know them well, who you feel has a shared value system of family, friends, and community.”
Armenian pride runs deep in the Minasian Family. This is something that the SF Giants General Manager keeps in mind. Minasian is deeply connected to his Armenian roots and highly values his heritage. As Minasian gets ready to attend the KZV Armenian School’s 45th Annual Gala in San Francisco on Saturday, May 3, 2025, he looks forward to getting to know the community more and to share his story.
“Obviously you get a lot of coverage being in this role, you get a title, and the title is not necessarily who I am, it’s what I do, Armenian is who I am, so it will be fun to talk about that, and I am looking forward to it,” Minasian said.
Arman Archouniani is a San Francisco-based freelance journalist. He graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and minored in media literacy. He was previously the sports editor for Golden Gate Xpress at San Francisco State University and The Skyline View at Skyline College.
