Tony Vitello is the New Manager of the San Francisco Giants
After days of negotiations, Tony Vitello has been named as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants, as announced by the team on Wednesday. This appointment marks a milestone, as it is the first time that a Major League team has hired a manager directly from a college program, without prior experience as a professional coach. Vitello, who considered staying in Tennessee, where he won the 2024 College World Series, replaces Bob Melvin, who was fired on September 29 after a season with a record of 81-81, the Giants’ fourth consecutive year without reaching the playoffs.Vitello, 47, is recognized as one of the best coaches in college baseball. He stood out for his energy in recruiting, building talented teams and transforming a program that had been in mediocrity for decades. He became the Giants’ top target after former San Francisco catcher Nick Hundley withdrew from consideration.I am incredibly honored and grateful for this opportunity. I am excited to lead this group of players and represent the San Francisco Giants. I can’t wait to get started and work to establish a culture that will make Giants faithful proud.
Tony Vitello
By hiring Vitello, San Francisco’s president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, is betting that Vitello’s success at Tennessee will translate to the Major Leagues. He was chosen over former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and two other former Major League catchers interviewed by the Giants, Kurt Suzuki and Vance Wilson. Vitello distinguished himself as one of the most outstanding coaches in the country during a two-decade career as an assistant and head coach in college, enough for the Giants to be willing to pay the $3 million buyout clause of his contract.
Vitello’s transition to the Major Leagues will be much faster. The Giants, aside from a first-place finish in the National League West in 2021, have finished third or worse in the division every year since 2017. Evaluators consider the Giants a less talented team than San Diego and Arizona. San Francisco’s core, with first baseman Rafael Devers, shortstop Willy Adames, and third baseman Matt Chapman, is solid and could be reinforced this winter by signing free agents, according to sources. After more than 10 years as an assistant coach at Missouri, TCU and Arkansas, Vitello took over the Tennessee program before the 2018 season and recorded a 341-131 record, advancing to the College World Series in 2021, 2023 and 2024. With a couple of first-round and four second-round picks, Tennessee defeated Texas A&M to win the school’s first national baseball championship last year. Vitello’s energetic personality, which made him very popular in Tennessee and annoyed other SEC schools, enters a completely different realm in MLB. While college jobs are often defined by the success of recruiting classes, Major League teams are built by baseball operations departments, and the manager relies on locker room cohesion, in-game decision-making, bullpen usage, and daily interactions with the media. Tennessee athletic director Danny White issued a statement Wednesday thanking Vitello for elevating the Vols to a “championship program.” The reluctance of MLB teams to turn to the college ranks for managers has been established for a long time and has gone against the hiring practices of other professional sports leagues. NFL teams have regularly pulled head coaches from the college ranks, and in the NBA there is no stigma associated with college coaches. Major League organizations have been more open to hiring coaches from college than managers. In an interview in June, Vitello said that his reputation as a troublemaker didn’t bother him and that he had no plans to change his training approach, which required breaking boundaries.We are delighted to welcome Tony to the Giants family. Tony is one of the brightest, most innovative, and respected coaches in college baseball today. Throughout our search, Tony’s leadership, competitiveness, and commitment to player development stood out. His ability to build strong and cohesive teams and his passion for the game align perfectly with the values of our organization. We look forward to the energy and direction he will bring, along with the memories that will be created, as we focus on the future of Giants baseball.
Buster Posey
I think you don’t know where the line is until you cross it. And then you make an adjustment. I don’t want our guys, if they’re given a coloring book, I don’t want them to just color inside the lines. You know, invent something different.
Tony Vitello
