When the San Francisco Giants decided to hire Tony Vitello as their next manager, it certainly caught some people by surprise. Diving into the college ranks to hire an MLB manager is not something that happens a lot.
Sure, Vitello had a ton of success at the University of Tennessee, but MLB is a different ballgame. There is a reason a lot of teams turn to former established managers or former players to lead their teams in the dugout.
San Francisco enters a weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles on the road at 5-8. They are sitting in the basement of the National League West Division. They are a game behind the Colorado Rockies. Sure, it’s early in the season. Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report listed one decision every team in Major League Baseball will come to regret from the offseason. For San Francisco, it was hiring Vitello.
San Francisco Giants Might Regret Hiring Tony Vitello
Losing eight of your first 13 games is certainly going to put a team under the microscope more than others. As Kelly points out, the beginning of the Tony Vitello era in the Bay Area has not had the greatest look.
“Whether it was his bizarre questioning of reporters in Spring Training, mentioning Kanye West in the year 2026, or catching himself as he compared Rafael Devers to Tiger Woods, there have been some bizarre press conference moments from Tony Vitello so far as Giants manager,” wrote Kelly.
“None are impossible to overcome, but when you get a reputation early on as someone who puts their foot in their mouth, it can be difficult to overcome that. It might be even harder for Vitello, who is in his first year in any role on an MLB staff after previously serving as the head coach at the University of Tennessee.”
Putting his foot in his mouth is nothing new to Vitello. During his tenure at Tennessee, he was a fiery coach, which carried over to his team. They would constantly be at the center of incidents with other teams. However, it went overlooked for one reason: because Vitello won with the Volunteers.
What’s Next If Tony Vitello Continues to Struggle As Giants Manager?
Again, it’s a two-week sample. Yes, San Francisco isn’t off to the start they hoped they would get off to. There is plenty of time to turn things around. However, early takes have not been what the Giants hoped they would be.
It started with a season-opening sweep by the New York Yankees. They struggled to the tune of scoring just one run in the three-game series. They were shut out in their first two games, and frustration was building quickly. The local media were quickly analyzing Vitello.
There is a long way to go in 2026. If this trend continues, will the front office admit they made a mistake? It seems unlikely they would part ways with Vitello this early. However, going into a major league locker room is a lot different than a college locker room. If things don’t turn around, things could get interesting in San Francisco. This was certainly an odd move by the Giants.
San Francisco Giants May Regret One Extremely Odd Offseason Move