Giants manager Tony Vitello already is seeing signs of a player-driven culture forming in camp — before spring training has even officially begun.<\/p>\n
Speaking Friday on KNBR\u2019s Murph & Markus podcast<\/a>, Vitello praised San Francisco players for arriving early and taking the initiative in offseason work, calling the turnout a reflection of clubhouse leadership and internal motivation.<\/p>\n Rather than mandating early arrivals, Vitello explained that players took it upon themselves to get to work — many driven by individual goals and a collective desire to rebound from last season.<\/p>\n “A lot of guys have just taken the initiative to be on a mission,” Vitello said. “Everybody\u2019s got a different mission going on.”<\/p>\n With the calendar turning to mid-February and MLB camps beginning to open across Arizona and Florida, the Giants\u2019 early arrivals have come even before the club\u2019s first full workouts officially get underway.<\/p>\n Vitello specifically pointed to offseason defensive work already underway, including infield drills led by veteran coach Ron Washington. Players such as Luis Arr\u00e1ez<\/a> and Bryce Eldridge<\/a> have been spotted putting in early reps.<\/p>\n “With Arr\u00e1ez, he wants to play second base,” Vitello noted. “And I can only imagine what\u2019s in the Twitter-sphere about, you know, he can\u2019t do this or can\u2019t do that. So, there\u2019s your motivation if you need it.”<\/p>\n Arr\u00e1ez signed with San Francisco<\/a> earlier this month, bringing a three-time MLB All-Star r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and one of the league\u2019s most consistent contact bats to the Giants\u2019 infield mix.<\/p>\n Others simply weren\u2019t happy with how last season unfolded.<\/p>\n “A lot of other guys just were not satisfied with how last year went, so they either showed up earlier or put together a new protocol in the winter,” Vitello added.<\/p>\n