The San Francisco Giants fired veteran manager Bob Melvin following a disappointing two-year stint at the helm. Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey has since led an extensive managerial search, combing the ranks of college and professional baseball for their next bench boss. According to the Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Brittany Ghiroli, and Andrew Baggarly, San Francisco is closing in on hiring the University of Tennessee's head coach, Tony Vitello, to be the team's new manager.
“Industry sources confirmed that the Giants are closing in on hiring Tony Vitello, a 47-year-old Division I head coach who transformed the University of Tennessee from a bottom-feeder in the Southeastern Conference into one of the most talented programs in the country,” reported the Athletic's trio of Baggarly, Ghiroli, and Rosenthal.
Vitello has revitalized Tennessee's program since being hired in 2017. Not only did Vitello help lead the Volunteers to their first-ever NCAA title in 2024, but he's also made it to the College World Series an additional two times. On top of that, five NCAA regional and four NCAA super regional appearances have made the Vols one of the best teams in college baseball's top conference, the SEC. Can the 47-year-old work his magic on a Giants franchise that hasn't been able to reach the heights of over a decade ago?
Giants look to return to the success of the early 2010s with key changes
After not leading the Giants back to the playoffs in his two seasons, Posey decided to let Melvin go. The longtime manager was hired by former head of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, but Posey replaced Zaidi in 2024. The decision to bring in his own skipper to lead the Giants makes sense. Ever since the team's surprising 2021 NL West title, San Francisco has backslid.
It's up to Posey and Vitello, his reported choice as manager, to bring the Giants back to life. At the moment, San Francisco plays in one of baseball's deepest divisions in the NL West. Their hated rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, are four wins away from their second straight World Series title. Since capturing their third title in five years back in 2014, the Giants have failed to reach those heights. Is Vitello the right man to guide them back to the Fall Classic? If so, this unconventional choice could be a masterclass by Posey.
