Spring training is a great time for Major League Baseball, especially the first day for a new manager like Tony Vitello.
But scrutiny comes with the job. The new San Francisco Giants boss had more company than usual at his first press conference on Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz., and he was joined by several national writers, along with the usual Bay Area beat writers he’ll deal with during the season.
He was asked about being surrounded by media on his first day and he admitted that his former job as head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers prepared him just a bit for what he’ll deal with day to day.
“That was an interesting part of the hiring process, you know the media is a huge presence in Knoxville,” Vitello said. “Then also in the SEC, you want to talk about scrutiny, that’s those people’s lives down there so they want to know everything.”
Tony Vitello Starts His Giants Gig
First time talking with the manager in the dugout pic.twitter.com/fKYbPws3Ne
— Marty Lurie (@baseballmarty) February 10, 2026
In many cases, press conferences at the college level can be more formal. So, as Vitello prepared for his first pitchers and catchers workout, he held court with reporters wearing a black Giants hoodie and hat in video captured by KBNR’s Marty Lurie. Many MLB managers spent their time informally with reporters in the dugout or in their office, something Vitello made note of on Tuesday.
“I mean I don’t think I’ve ever sat down like the campfire approach here,” Vitello said with a chuckle. “Like here, we could bring marshmallows.”
Vitello said that he’s met just about everyone on the team entering spring training. If he hasn’t met them in person, he’s at least exchanged texts or phone calls. One of those late meetings was second baseman Luis Arráez, whose signing was made official on Tuesday. He showed up to Scottsdale early. Position players don’t have to officially report until this weekend.
His time with the media on Tuesday was light on detail. He’s saving his welcome to camp speech for when the entire team is together after position players report. There were few injuries to report, and he let his coaching staff do much of the talking to players, especially new pitching coach Justin Meccage. Still, the former Vols boss is going to draw plenty of attention this season.
Vitello takes over the Giants after spending eight seasons at Tennessee, where he spent eight seasons rebuilding the Volunteers into one of the best baseball programs in NCAA Division I. That reached a zenith in 2024 when he guided Tennessee to 60 wins and the Men’s College World Series championship in 2024. He also took the program to the MCWS in 2021 and 2023. He also led the program to two SEC regular-season and tournament championships.
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