{"id":555863,"date":"2026-02-05T11:02:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T11:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/555863\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T11:02:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T11:02:31","slug":"dusty-baker-has-some-advice-for-mlbs-historic-class-of-newbie-managers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/555863\/","title":{"rendered":"Dusty Baker has some advice for MLB&#8217;s historic class of newbie managers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>PHOENIX \u2014 They will be packing their bags, practicing their introductory speeches, and arriving in a few days early to spring training camps from West Palm Beach, Florida to Surprise, Arizona.<\/p>\n<p>They are young. They have little or no experience.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>They make up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/sports\/mlb\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Major League Baseball;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Major League Baseball<\/a>\u2019s incoming managerial class.<\/p>\n<p>Ten managers have been hired since the end of last season.<\/p>\n<p>And just like the <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/nfl-set-enter-2026-season-225550029.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:NFL\u2019s coaching carousel, none are Black;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NFL\u2019s coaching carousel, none are Black<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Four have never managed a game \u2013 even in the minor leagues. One has never even coached a game outside of college.<\/p>\n<p>One is in his 30s. Eight are in their 40s. One is in his 50s.<\/p>\n<p>The newbies will be scrutinized, dissected, questioned and debated all season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s going to be a lot of people watching,&#8221; future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker, now a special advisor for the <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/baseball\/mlb\/teams\/san-francisco-giants\/250\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:San Francisco Giants;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">San Francisco Giants<\/a>, tells USA TODAY Sports. \u201cA lot of people are wondering if they can do it. We\u2019re all going to find out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Dusty Baker before a Giants game in August 2025.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2630e289402ed4a9afd1b5a13e241b75.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dusty Baker before a Giants game in August 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Three of the new managers \u2013 Skip Schumaker (Texas), Walt Weiss (Atlanta) and Derek Shelton (Minnesota) \u2013 had previous MLB managerial experience.<\/p>\n<p>Two of the managers \u2013 Don Kelly (Pittsburgh) and Warren Schaeffer Colorado) \u2013 were interim managers last season, and proved to their front offices and ownership that they were deserving of being promoted to full time.<\/p>\n<p>But for the other five rookie managers, it\u2019s a whole new ballgame.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/baseball\/mlb\/teams\/washington-nationals\/244\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Washington Nationals;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Washington Nationals<\/a> manager Blake Butera, 33, who managed four minor league seasons but has never been on a major-league staff, became the youngest MLB managerial hire in 53 years.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/baseball\/mlb\/teams\/san-diego-padres\/249\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:San Diego Padres;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">San Diego Padres<\/a> manager Craig Stammen, 41, a 13-year reliever in the major leagues, spent the previous two years on the Padres\u2019 baseball operations staff, but has never coached or managed a single game at any level.<\/p>\n<p>Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, 42, played for 16 years and was a special assistant in the front office, but also never coached or managed.<\/p>\n<p>Craig Albernaz, 43, of the Baltimore Orioles, is the most traditional hire of those with no experience, spending five years in the minor leagues and five years as a major-league coach.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>And Tony\u00a0Vitello, 47, of the Giants, happens to be <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/5-key-takeaways-tony-vitellos-211929614.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:one of the most unique hires in baseball history.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">one of the most unique hires in baseball history.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>1 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello is introduced as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Oct. 30, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/83773c14ae28d08746153258b0b1d59e.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>1 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello is introduced as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Oct. 30, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/05ef71b0f90d33504d146897c3def3eb.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>2 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello (center) is introduced as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants by president of baseball operations Buster Posey (left) and general manager Zack Minasian at Oracle Park on Oct. 30, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/4afd45710be971d8a44258b05cf5327b.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>3 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello (center) answers questions from the media as he is introduced as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. He is flanked by president of baseball operations Buster Posey (left) and general manager Zack Minasian on Oct. 30, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/a21bcc072c1cce1364da1c6a48fe9b89.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>4 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello (left) speaks with local media as he is introduced as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Oct. 30, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/a10a8530dc5e892a5bd4f3ab1d777160.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>5 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello (right) answers questions from the media as he is introduced as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Oct. 30, 2025. He is joined by president of baseball operations Buster Posey.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cc03375742baabd12d65fb80b48813e9.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>6 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello (center) answers questions from the media as he is introduced as the new manager of the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Oct. 30, 2025. He is flanked by president of baseball operations Buster Posey (left) and general manager Zack Minasian.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/b56b299f5cd88ced7d1e6e8b7b008067.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>7 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello speaks with MLB Network during the MLB Draft at The Coca-Cola Roxy on July 13, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2c19f0a98762347832f29928275ff346.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>8 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello warms up his players before the start of the NCAA college baseball game against Wake Forest in the Knoxville Regional final on June 1, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2e9e781a9176be55a1db6016560aeac2.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>9 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman hugs Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello during the NCAA Baseball National Championship celebration in downtown Knoxville on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/a06feff21aebc7fdd4ac06e111112cda.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>10 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Vols head coach Tony Vitello smiles ahead of the Knoxville homecoming parade in the team&#8217;s honor after winning the baseball World Series on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0084a64cb41b40d5e68e9db993052e07.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>11 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello holds up a commemorative News Sentinel front page after Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series finals between Tennessee and Texas A&amp;M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska on Monday, June 24, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ce5ce8fa04cf827f7bed048a12381ab2.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>12 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello holds up the trophy after game three of the NCAA College World Series finals between Tennessee and Texas A&amp;M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, on Monday, June 24, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cb44263bbc4f950b6929ef81739187f3.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>13 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello holds the national championship trophy after the win against the Texas A&amp;M Aggies at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on June 24, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1f62d2c9de274122c50dfd22b4663bd3.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>14 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello signals the team during the ninth inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on June 24, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/e1bb9f7d922ec8fa9f980ce6510d8163.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>15 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello talks with left fielder Dylan Dreiling (8) after a run scored against the Texas A&amp;M Aggies during the second inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on June 22, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/d637fe3f99659c8e914b2b703bd6bc6c.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>16 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello during practice before the NCAA College World Series finals at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska on Friday, June 21, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/66c1e339d01433c0c80ea77efc5b225a.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>17 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello speaks during a press conference before the NCAA College World Series finals at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska on Friday, June 21, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/fe9948ab1470b962ed4aa88c81d8c42a.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>18 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello against the Florida State Seminoles during the ninth inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha on June 14, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/63dadeecda315199c72e3707d38a8e6e.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>19 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p>Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello celebrates with his team after the championship game between Tennessee and LSU at the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium on May 26, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/a85e51732228fb9462a21a9b32bd7bc3.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>20 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee Volunteers head coach Tony Vitello before the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee on Thursday, May 16, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/6485faa75ebc962349c460b00ab81b26.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>21 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello is seen on the field during the home opener between Tennessee and UNC Asheville, at the newly renovated Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/f86ae100ab4fa64812949698cbfae564.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>22 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p>Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello takes Knox News on a tour of the renovation work underway at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/077692a70fa7712a8b2058315e748c79.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>23 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello leaves the hotel before the NCAA Men&#8217;s College World Series game between Tennessee and Stanford held at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska on Monday, June 19, 2023.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/da01af252f03785173c34483062e3b98.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>24 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello slides into Tennessee&#8217;s team photo after the team defeated Southern Miss to win the Hattiesburg Super Regional and move on to Omaha for the Men&#8217;s College World Series at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on Monday, June 12, 2023.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/de3fc33020adcb90c5a80b91b0dd19d2.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>25 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello waves to the crowd during the NCAA football match between Tennessee and Kentucky in Knoxville, Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/d4c21cba8f0e0323e7f28d9785b5407b.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>26 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello makes an appearance at the ESPN College GameDay stage outside of Ayres Hall on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sept. 24, 2022. The flagship ESPN college football pregame show returned for the 10th time to Knoxville as the No. 12 Vols hosted the No. 22 Gators.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/99fb0a4c105c3a103b49e004cb4cbcc2.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>27 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello (right) argues with umpires after a home run by right fielder Jordan Beck was wiped from the scoreboard after his bat was ruled illegal during the first inning of the game against Vanderbilt at Hawkins Field Friday, April 1, 2022 in Nashville.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/cc5de5abb015dd6700a78ab218ced180.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>28 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello, Knox News Sportsperson of the Year, poses for a portrait with the team&#8217;s 2021 College World Series participant trophy at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/d0dbc24f4547a643a69367f7f2696069.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>29 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello disputes a call at the NCAA Baseball Tournament Knoxville Regional at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Friday, June 4, 2021.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/b6e3d5cc3cfb5826ce8d4ea318e5bdb9.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>30 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello approaches the mound during the college baseball game between Tennessee and Western Carolina on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"fill\" class=\"cropped-img\" style=\"position:absolute;height:100%;width:100%;left:0;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/8a73d274b2b26917e760ab3e165a4839.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>31 \/ 31<\/p>\n<p>Tony Vitello from Tennessee baseball titan to San Francisco Giants manager<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">At left, John Currie, Tennessee vice chancellor and director of athletics, shakes new University of Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello&#8217;s hand at a press conference introducing him to the media, at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Friday, June 9, 2017.<\/p>\n<p>MLB divided on Tony Vitello hire<\/p>\n<p>Vitello becomes the first college coach to immediately transition to a major-league manager with no professional coaching experience. He was an assistant collegiate coach for 15 years, and a head coach for eight years at the University of Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>He also was rewarded as the highest-paid first-year manager in baseball history, earning $3.5 million a year for the next three seasons.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a bold move,&#8221; says Baker, who met with\u00a0Vitello\u00a0and talked to him about the challenges of managing before he was hired. \u201cThat was my first thought.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Joe Maddon, who led the Chicago Cubs to the 2016 World Series championship, had another thought.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Quite frankly, <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/world-series-champion-manager-says-211901910.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:I&#039;m using the word insulting;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">I&#8217;m using the word insulting<\/a>,&#8221; Maddon told KNBR radio in San Francisco after the hire, \u201conly from the perspective that it appears as though you don&#8217;t have to have any kind of experience on a professional level to do this job anymore.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When I was coming up, you had to have all that. You had to, like, go through the minor leagues. You had to ride buses. I was a scout. I started in 1981. I finally get a managerial job in 2006. I mean, there was a rite of passage, a method to get to that point.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo think that somebody could just jump in there and do it, you took 20-some years to be considered qualified to do, it is kind of insulting.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>So, will it work? And will this be the wave of the future?<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Buckle up, we\u2019re about to find out.<\/p>\n<p>Newbie managers have strong recent track record<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s certainly going to be challenging for them,&#8221; says Ernie Whitt, a 15-year MLB catcher and manager of Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. \u201cSome of them come from good college baseball backgrounds, but to be at the highest level, and never experienced any type of managing at that level, or even in the minor leagues, that\u2019s going to be tough.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The game speeds up on you in a hurry.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s hardly as if young, inexperienced managers have no prayer to succeed.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to look any further than Steven Vogt of the Cleveland Guardians. He spent 11 years as a big-league catcher, and after just one year as the Seattle Mariners\u2019 bullpen and quality control coach, was hired to manage the Guardians before the 2024 season.<\/p>\n<p>Two years later, he has twice led the Guardians to the AL Central title, and twice been honored as the American League Manager of the Year.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Aaron Boone had never managed or coached in the major leagues or minors when he was hired before the 2018 season by the Yankees. He has led the Yankees to the postseason in seven of the eight years, including a World Series appearance.<\/p>\n<p>Dave Roberts, who has the greatest winning percentage (.621) of any manager in history with at least 850 games \u2013 along with three World Series titles \u2013 had only one game of managerial experience at any level before being hired to lead the Dodgers 10 years ago. Yet, he did have experience being on on the Padres\u2019 coaching staff for five years.<\/p>\n<p>Work hard to find for experienced MLB coaches<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just feel sorry for the number of players that need these jobs and they\u2019re not available,&#8221; Baker says. \u201cYou\u2019d be surprised how many calls from guys who are White, Black, who say they need a job, can\u2019t get one. Now, if you\u2019re a former [big-league] player, it\u2019s almost like a detriment. Teams are going with inexperienced guys, even college guys, looking for guys elsewhere to fill these jobs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Says Whitt: \u201cGuys go through the trenches as a manager in the minors just to have a chance, and for them not to get an opportunity is tough to see. I don\u2019t understand it. I know guys are relying on analytics, but you still have to have a feel for the game. You let your eyes tell you what\u2019s going on.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Davey Martinez, who led the Washington Nationals to their first World Series championship in 2019, still can\u2019t believe he didn\u2019t receive a single phone call to interview for a vacancy.<\/p>\n<p>Brandon Hyde, the AL Manager of the Year in 2023 after leading the Baltimore Orioles to 101 wins, got only one interview.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Bruce Bochy, who should be inducted into the Hall of Fame with Baker in 2027, let teams know he was willing to keep managing, but no one called. The Giants eventually hiring him as an advisor.<\/p>\n<p>Even veteran coaches like Eric Young, who was instrumental in Atlanta\u2019s recent dominance in the NL East, didn\u2019t get a call for another coaching job \u2013 let alone for a managerial vacancy.<\/p>\n<p>Bo Porter, the former Houston Astros manager and major-league coach with five different organizations, also couldn\u2019t find a job after the Angels turned over its staff.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Gary Pettis, the five-time Gold Glove winner who has coached 26 years and won two World Series titles, remains unemployed after the Astros didn\u2019t re-sign him after the 2024 season.<\/p>\n<p>Dusty Baker sees &#8216;regression&#8217; on diversity<\/p>\n<p>Just as the NFL went 0-for-10 in hiring a Black head coach in the offseason, so did MLB. There are now just two Black managers (Roberts and Will Venable of the Chicago White Sox) in baseball, and one Black GM (Dana Brown of the Astros).<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The only minority candidates who received managerial interviews from more than one team were future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols, who interviewed with the Angels and San Diego Padres; nine-time Gold Glove winner Torii Hunter with the Angels and Twins, and Suzuki, who was the lone minority candidate the Giants interviewed for their vacancy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t see a lot of progression,&#8221; Baker says, \u201cyou see regression. It\u2019s getting discouraging. Some of the best teachers, some of the most influential people in our lives, are not even in baseball anymore. You can\u2019t turn your back completely on the guys who played. They not only can tell you what to do, but also show you what you can do.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t see the diversity on coaching staffs, either. I always had Latin guys, Black guys, White guys, country guys. Having a diverse staff helps communication. You need someone to talk to. When you\u2019re the only somebody, it gets lonely sometimes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>The landscape is filled with strong minority managerial candidates who continue to be on the outside looking in. It makes no sense for someone like Benji Gil, who was born in Tijuana, Mexico, to never be given a chance to be an MLB manager. He played eight years in the major leagues, won a World Series championship with the 2002 Angels, managed the Mexico national team in the Tokyo Olympics, is managing Charros de Jalisco in the Mexican Pacific League, and will manage Team Mexico again in the WBC in March.<\/p>\n<p>Gil, who continually draws rave reviews by everyone from his players to his peers to tournament officials, leading Mexico to a stunning third-place finish in the 2023 WBC, has had only ever had one major-league managerial interview \u2013 with the Padres in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe I\u2019m more than ready,&#8221; Gil says. \u201cI check all of the boxes. As a player, I was on teams that won. I understand winning baseball. I understand culture. I think I do a good job with the media. I don\u2019t think there are many resumes in the last decade that are better than what I\u2019ve done.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, I would think that would hopefully encourage somebody to at least consider me, to get in a room with people to see what I\u2019m all about.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Maybe, Baker says, he should go find the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=pbsKDxCsZx4\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:reggae song he was listening to;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">reggae song he was listening to<\/a> at his home Monday night, and send it to all 30 teams, just so they can to hear the lyric: \u201cExperience is the greatest teacher.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Then again, the executives whole lot more experience than the managers and coaches they\u2019re hiring.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Everybody&#8217;s inexperienced&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy Zoll, promoted just last week to run the Minnesota Twins baseball operations, is 35 years old. He\u2019s the youngest head of baseball operations in MLB.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Buster Posey, the Giants\u2019 president of baseball operations who retired as a player just four years ago, is 38.<\/p>\n<p>Scott Harris, president of baseball operations for the Detroit Tigers, is 39.<\/p>\n<p>And Paul Toboni, hired in November as the Nationals\u2019 new president of baseball operations, turns 36 on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>The Nationals, who were run by Mike Rizzo, 65, with Martinez, 61, as manager, are now the youngest organization in baseball. Their GM is 31-year-old Anirudh Kilambi. The assistant GMs are Justin Horowitz (34) and Devin Pearson (31). The coaching staff has eight members between the ages of 29 and 39.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Certainly, it\u2019s a risk having precious little experience in the dugout, but then again, it\u2019s not as if the Nationals are going to be matched up against the likes of Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa night after night.<\/p>\n<p>Four of the game\u2019s most experienced managers are gone with the departures of Bochy, Bob Melvin, Buddy Black and Brian Snitker. There are now just nine managers who have been with their current team for four or more seasons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the thing that young managers have going for them,&#8221; Baker says, \u201cis how much inexperience the other managers have, too. So, how can you tell one that\u2019s going to be good and one that\u2019s not good if everybody\u2019s inexperienced. The experienced managers had such a tremendous advantage when I came in, but now you have inexperience managing against other inexperience.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt gives even more credence to the front office and the sabermetrics and being kind of told what to do and how to manage the game.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>There may be fewer than a handful of managers who make out their only lineup each game without heavy front-office interference. If you\u2019ve got little or no experience, are you really going to argue with your bosses?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hear that over and over about the lineup being sent down,&#8221; Whitt says. \u201cThat\u2019s not a good way to manage. It\u2019s crazy. I wouldn\u2019t manage if I had to do that. If it\u2019s not my thumbprint on it, then I don\u2019t want anything to do with it.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, analytics are good, don\u2019t get me wrong, but you still have to have a feel for the game. You\u2019ve got to let your eyes tell you what\u2019s going on.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The evaluations on this class of managers will begin the first day of spring training. Six months from now, we\u2019ll find out who thrived, who managed to survive, and who succumbed to the pressure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe best advice I can give,&#8221; Baker says, \u201cis to just be yourself. You can\u2019t be anybody but you. Now, it\u2019s all up to you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale<\/p>\n<p>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/mlb\/columnist\/bob-nightengale\/2026\/02\/05\/mlb-current-managers-2026-tony-vitello-dusty-baker\/88519329007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:MLB&#039;s new managers lack in experience. Dusty Baker has some advice.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">MLB&#8217;s new managers lack in experience. Dusty Baker has some advice.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHOENIX \u2014 They will be packing their bags, practicing their introductory speeches, and arriving in a few days&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2408],"tags":[291,146,191,47,5,73213,6595,24,49,51,167,54201,53,39,6452,14843,73212,7285,162,54,51851,44345,19,41756,822,3967,4,776,18,378,66,4343,4340,65,4344,4341,4342,1567,3934,148,71,998,1039,142],"class_list":["post-555863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco-giants","tag-angels","tag-arizona","tag-atlanta","tag-baltimore-orioles","tag-baseball","tag-buddy-black","tag-buster-posey","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-chicago-white-sox","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-colorado","tag-craig-stammen","tag-detroit-tigers","tag-dodgers","tag-don-kelly","tag-dusty-baker","tag-ernie-whitt","tag-front-office","tag-giants","tag-houston-astros","tag-interim-managers","tag-kurt-suzuki","tag-major-league-baseball","tag-managerial-experience","tag-minnesota","tag-minor-leagues","tag-mlb","tag-pittsburgh","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-sanfrancisco","tag-sanfranciscogiants","tag-seattle-mariners","tag-sf","tag-sf-giants","tag-sfgiants","tag-texas","tag-torii-hunter","tag-twins","tag-washington-nationals","tag-will-venable","tag-world-series","tag-yankees"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}