Tony Vitello is entering uncharted territory as he arrives in San Francisco. 

Vitello, introduced Thursday as the Giants’ new manager, is the first to be hired as an MLB manager straight from college with no prior experience in the pros. As daunting as that might seem to Giants fans, the front office or to Vitello himself, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, in a recent appearance on CBS Sports HQ, stated he believes Vitello has the juice to succeed in the position.

“I think out of all the people that are in college baseball, there are probably three or four that could make the jump to being a major league manager,” Skenes explained. “I think Vitello is one of them. He’s a winner…” 

Skenes, the NL Cy Young award favorite, who just completed his second MLB season, faced Vitello and the Tennessee Volunteers twice during his time at LSU. Still fresh out of college, he notes that the jump to MLB clearly is significant. 

“The big leagues [are] a lot faster than college. Obviously, the players are better. In many ways, I think it’s a different game, just in terms of how pitchers attack hitters, how hitters make plans against pitchers,” Skenes said. 

In his eight seasons at Tennessee, Vitello had an overall record of 341-131 (72.2 winning percentage) and led the Volunteers to their first College World Series championship in program history.  

 According to Skenes, Vitello’s proven acumen will help him make the jump. 

“In terms of a learning curve, I think he’ll figure it out pretty quick. He’s sharp, he’s a winner,” Skenes said. 

If his track record as a winner isn’t enough, Vitello’s ability to develop major league players certainly is appealing for Buster Posey and company. Vitello coached nine MLB players in his time at Tennessee, including Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet and Colorado Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck. During his other collegiate coaching experience outside of Knoxville, he coached star players including Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer, Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi and former MLB infielder Ian Kinsler.  

Posey, entering his second season as Giants president of baseball operations, is taking a gamble with Vitello’s historical hire. The praise from Skenes and others in the baseball world provides optimism that such a gamble will pay off for the Giants. 

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