The San Francisco Giants are making an unprecedented move with their manager hire.
University of Tennessee baseball manager Tony Vitello has agreed to a deal to become the Giants’ next manager, the team announced Wednesday. With the move, Vitello became the first coach to be hired as an MLB manager directly from the college game without any professional coaching experience.
“Tony is one of the brightest, most innovative and most respected coaches in college baseball today,” Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said. “Throughout our search, Tony’s leadership, competitiveness and commitment to developing players stood out.”
Posey said the Giants look forward to the energy and direction Vitello brings with his passion for baseball aligning with the club’s values.
“I’m incredibly honored and grateful for this opportunity,” Vitello said in the Giants’ announcement. “I’m 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 makes [the] Giants’ devoted proud.”
Vitello, 47, has overseen the most effective stretch Tennessee baseball has ever had in his eight-year tenure as this system’s supervisor. He is gone 341–131 over that point, successful the School World Sequence in 2024. He is coached a handful of present Major Leaguers, together with Garrett Crochet and Drew Gilbert, throughout his time at Tennessee. The latter is a present outfielder for the Giants.
A number of of Vitello’s former gamers are additionally at present within the Giants’ farm system, comparable to 2025 first-round choose Gavin Kilen, pitcher Blade Tidwell and shortstop Maui Ahuna. In complete, Vitello has had 10 gamers from Tennessee chosen within the first spherical and 52 Vols total in MLB’s novice draft.
In search of a brand new voice and path after the Giants missed the playoffs for a fourth straight 12 months, Posey stated he wouldn’t rule out anybody in his seek for somebody with what he known as an “obsessive” work ethic and a focus to element.
Posey had additionally thought of his former backup catcher, Nick Hundley, who had been working as a particular assistant to Texas Rangers basic supervisor Chris Younger.
As an alternative, Posey is taking a route as soon as tapped by the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys with Miami Hurricanes coach Jimmy Johnson in 1989. That labored out with Johnson successful two Tremendous Bowl trophies in 1992 and 1993 in a Corridor of Fame profession.
Posey is striving for stability at supervisor after a lot turnover for the franchise lately, together with Posey taking up as President of Baseball Operations final fall when Farhan Zaidi was fired.
The Giants dismissed manager Bob Melvin after two years, and Posey rapidly dominated out beloved longtime Giants skipper Bruce Bochy as an possibility to switch him as soon as Bochy parted methods with Texas following a three-year managerial stint.
The Giants completed 81-81 for another victory than in Melvin’s first 12 months. They haven’t reached the postseason since successful the NL West with a franchise-record 107 victories to edge the rival Dodgers by one sport in 2021 underneath then-skipper Gabe Kapler.
San Francisco is getting a colourful and brash supervisor in Vitello.
The NCAA suspended Vitello twice throughout his Tennessee tenure, first for spending an excessive amount of time arguing a name in 2018. Throughout that two-game suspension, he raised cash for charity with a pizza and lemonade stand whereas the Vols performed.
Chest-bumping an umpire in 2022 led to a four-game suspension, and Vitello spent that point working with a Tennessee fraternity providing a chest bump to anybody donating $2 to the Wounded Warriors Venture.
Vitello isn’t a stranger to Northern California. In 2002, he was affiliate head coach of the Salinas Packers within the California Collegiate League. The staff went 50-14 and reached the Nationwide Baseball Congress World Sequence in Wichita, Kansas.
He performed three seasons at Missouri as an infielder and started his teaching profession there earlier than stints at TCU and Arkansas, the final the place he was hitting coach.
A local of St. Louis, Vitello went 341–131 at Tennessee. In his second season in 2019, he led the Vols to their first NCAA berth since 2005. Vitello then led the Vols to their first nationwide title in baseball, successful the 2024 School World Sequence.
Tennessee has reached the School World Sequence 3 times with Vitello. He has two Southeastern Convention regular-season titles and a pair of SEC Event titles, the final in 2024. Tennessee is ending up an growth and renovation of the baseball stadium to fulfill curiosity in this system.
Vitello was incomes $3 million a 12 months and signed a five-year extension in 2024 that features a $3 million buyout.
The Tennessee athletic director, Danny White, congratulated Vitello on the job and stated college officers are centered on gamers and the teaching workers in an “evolving course of” whereas they finalize the following steps.
“We’re dedicated to repeatedly investing in this system at a championship stage throughout all areas,” White stated. “Moreover, the upcoming $109 million renovation of Lindsey Nelson Stadium will remodel it into one of many premier baseball venues.”
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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