Tony Vitello’s move from coach of the Volunteers to manager of the San Francisco Giants shook up major league baseball and stunned at least part of the civilized world.
It obviously wasn’t impossible but nothing like that had ever happened. Tony has no MLB experience of any kind, unless you count watching a few games. Tony didn’t play pro ball and didn’t play much at the University of Missouri, 13 hits as a senior infielder, three RBIs and .217 batting average. He won Big 12 Conference academic honors.
Pick a word to describe this multiple leap of faith: Amazing, daring or fantastic. Indeed, it was historical.
Tony was also historical as a college coach, maybe the best in the country, $3-million-a-year success story. He accomplished a lot in eight seasons and led Tennessee to the 2024 College World Series championship.
Tony Vitello, 47, is capable, confident and brave enough to do the job for the Giants. His personality is something like a properly controlled flame-thrower. He has an off and on switch. He seems, by nature, to be warm, friendly, even charming. I think he is real.
A rival or maybe it was an umpire described him as an Italian stick of dynamite. If you’ll accept that, you could say Buster Posey has lit the fuse.
Buster is the former great catcher of the Giants and current team president, age 38, who came up with this idea of waking up the clubhouse and inspiring those who live there to get better and rise above eight seasons of mediocrity.
“Tony is one of the brightest, most innovative and most respected coaches in college baseball,” Posey said. “Throughout our search, Tony’s leadership, competitiveness and commitment to developing players stood out. His ability to lead strong, cohesive teams and his passion for the game align perfectly with the values of our organization.”
Vitello said he can’t wait to get started.
Why would Tony leave Tennessee and the beautifully redeveloped stadium, you ask? Well, he found a new challenge and got a little raise, half a million. The Giants will apparently pay UT the $3mil buyout.
“Why not?” is part of the answer. The move is something of a no-brainer. He has already done as much as he could do in Knoxville. Vol fans love him. His players, past and present, think he hung the moon.
Athletics director Danny White may have been vexed at times but he said nice things in acknowledgements.
“In my mind, this is not a sad day, it’s a proud day. Congratulations to Tony. This is something that’s never been accomplished before. So I think it’s a testament to obviously, Tony, but to everybody that’s ever played for him, coached for him, our fans that have supported the program.
“We’ve had an unprecedented run of success the last four or five years. And what he has built is absolutely phenomenal.”
Dr. Danny made a good talk. He had weeks to prepare. Posey and Vitello had been talking. They got acquainted as the Giants were doing draft and trade research on the Volunteers. The president found the coach to be very intelligent, very knowledgeable, very enthusiastic, very forthright and a natural leader with a deep love for baseball.
What’s more, Buster likes Tony. They are opposites in many ways but both are convinced the other really cares about the game.
White touched the correct bases. He said current Tennessee players are his No. 1 priority. He met with the team. He heard they want associate head coach Josh Elander to be the replacement. Support for Elander from former Vols has been enthusiastic.
White appointed pitching coach Frank Anderson as interim “shepherd.”
Dr. Danny said he has asked Elander to be a candidate for the head job.
“We are going to conduct a national search and expect a ton of interest because of what Tony and his staff and our fan base and everyone have built. I think it’s an extremely attractive position.”
Vitello has a three-year contract with San Francisco. Real progress may take that long. The Giants were 81-81 this season despite a far-above-average payroll. Big name is Rafael Devers.
Three prominent prospects were coached by Vitello: outfielder Drew Gilbert and pitcher Blade Tidwell were acquired from the Mets at the trade deadline and infielder Gavin Kilen was the Giants’ top 2025 draft choice.
One of Posey’s great assets is reading character, demeanor and body language. The former Vols said Vitello is plus three.
Drew turned on some Giants lights, stirred up some spirit and energy. Give this some thought: Drew Gilbert may have provided Posey with the Vitello-as-manager idea.
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com