After last season, the Texas Rangers and manager Bruce Bochy parted ways. Bochy had led the Rangers to their first World Series championship in 2023, but the following two seasons didn’t go like Rangers management had planned.
So, Bochy left. Then, the San Francisco Giants came calling, wanting to see if maybe Bochy – who has a long, storied history, including World Series championships, with the Giants – wanted to come back to the organization.
Advertisement
Now, the Giants already hired a new manager in Tony Vitello, giving him his first MLB job after a successful tenure as the University of Tennessee’s head baseball coach.
Bochy agreed to come back as an adviser. He’s going to help advise Vitello as needed. Vitello should thank his lucky stars that Bochy is joined by another veteran MLB manager as an adviser. Who is that? None other than Dusty Baker, who also spent a few baseball games in the Giants’ dugout as manager.
Baker won his lone World Series championship as a manager with the Houston Astros. After his time with the Astros ended, though, San Francisco brought him back into the fold.
Recently, Bochy got together with Vitello for dinner. Ironically, Bochy has lived in Nashville to be closer to his kids.
Advertisement
This means that, even though he didn’t live in Knoxville, Tenn., where the University of Tennessee is located, at least he’d be in the same state as Vitello. Bochy was able to keep up with what was happening with Vitello and the Volunteers.
So, it’s not like Bochy didn’t know who Vitello was when the Giants hired him.
Bochy, in an interview with an NBC Bay Area Sports reporter, shared what he initially asked Vitello at their dinner.
“First, I asked him if he was nuts,” Bochy said. “Because I live in Tennessee now and, of course, I know how big he was there and how popular and what a great program they had there in Tennessee. But he’s ready for a new challenge and he couldn’t find a better spot than San Francisco and I told him that.”
Advertisement
Vitello will have his hands full entering the 2026 MLB season. The Giants are trying to get back into the discussion for a National League West Division title. Of course, San Francisco is dealing with the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the division, too.
When the Giants get to Spring Training, Vitello not only will have a bunch of players to get acclimated to his own managerial style. But he’ll also have Bochy and Baker around to help him make the transition from college to the major leagues a little bit easier.