There’s a new skipper in the Bay.
The San Francisco Giants have hired Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello as the team’s next manager, the team announced Wednesday.
Vitello, 47, becomes the first ever college coach to make the jump directly to MLB manager without prior experience at the professional level.
“I can’t wait to get started and work to establish a culture that makes Giants faithful proud,” Vitello said in a statement.
Vitello replaces manager Bob Melvin, who was fired in September after two middling seasons, and arrives in San Francisco after bolstering Tennessee into an NCAA powerhouse.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Tony to the Giants family,” Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a statement. “Tony is one of the brightest, most innovative, and most respected coaches in college baseball today. Throughout our search, Tony’s leadership, competitiveness, and commitment to developing players stood out. His ability to build strong, cohesive teams and his passion for the game align perfectly with the values of our organization.”
The St. Louis native was hired to helm the Volunteers in 2018, with the team eager to bounce back from a middle-of-the-road 27-25 season.
Vitello’s first season in charge yielded a familiar 29-27 record, but the team steadily improved in the following years and ultimately skyrocketed.
Tennessee went a commanding 257-81 over the last five seasons. The club won the SEC three times, seized the conference championship in 2022, and went on to defeat Texas A&M in the 2024 College World Series.
Prior to his time with Tennessee, the former Missouri infielder worked as an assistant with the Tigers, TCU, and Arkansas.
Vitello had been previously linked to the managerial opening on Oct. 18, with The Post confirming reports Posey and the Giants “moving toward” hiring the Volunteers’ skipper.
“He’s the guy who probably convinced Buster Posey he could beat the Dodgers,” an anonymous source told the San Francisco Standard. “No doubt in my mind that he walked in and said that. Just give me the horses.”
It’s a daring choice for Posey, who was hired as the club’s president ahead of the 2024 season — hungry to rekindle the magic for a franchise that won three championships in five years during his 12-season tenure.
After a rocky first year in charge, the former MVP fired Melvin and deemed the season “disappointing and frustrating,” emphasizing the club failed to meet “our standards.”
Since the San Francisco dynasty won its last World Series in 2014, the Giants have made the playoffs just twice — yet to play October baseball since Posey retired in 2021.
Posey is hoping that Vitello’s transformative pedigree can carry over to the major league level.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
