{"id":583352,"date":"2026-02-20T19:07:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T19:07:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/583352\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T19:07:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T19:07:38","slug":"spring-training-games-offer-tony-vitello-a-chance-to-turn-giants-skeptics-into-believers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/583352\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring training games offer Tony Vitello a chance to turn Giants skeptics into believers"},"content":{"rendered":"

This column is an excerpt from our Section 415 newsletter, where we cover the biggest stories in Bay Area sports each Monday and Friday. To sign up, visit The Standard\u2019s\u00a0newsletter page<\/a>\u00a0and select Section 415. It\u2019s free to subscribe!<\/p>\n

The Tony Vitello era in San Francisco<\/a> technically started when he was hired in October, but it won\u2019t really begin until the Giants take the field against the Yankees on March 25, opening day.<\/p>\n

This in-between period<\/a> after Vitello\u2019s introductory press conference and before his first MLB game won\u2019t make his Wikipedia page, but it will have an outsize impact on how fans perceive his capabilities<\/a>. And after the manager\u2019s \u201ctangent\u201d<\/a> in the dugout this week at Scottsdale Stadium, the intrigue continues to build.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the start of Cactus League play Saturday is an important milestone for Vitello, who can turn the page on the Tennessee chapter of his career and focus on preparing for his first season in pro ball. Vitello has made calls to the bullpen, tabbed pinch hitters in key moments, and benched struggling players, but he\u2019s never encountered the type of scrutiny he\u2019ll face in the big-league spotlight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Spring training games are mostly scripted, but they should still provide Vitello with valuable experience. Hayden Birdsong is slated to throw the first inning Saturday against the Mariners, and the Giants know exactly which relievers will follow him, regardless of the score.<\/p>\n

2 days ago<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

6 days ago<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday, Feb. 10<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

How will Vitello react if Birdsong walks the first three hitters? If the Giants want to cap Birdsong at 25 pitches, will Vitello remove him in the middle of an at-bat, or let him work through a high-pressure situation if it means he needs to throw 30? If Birdsong walks the first man up, is Vitello prepared to have a reliever warm up and risk squashing the starter\u2019s confidence?<\/p>\n

These questions might not matter that much in February, but Vitello must have answers for every scenario by the time the Yankees arrive in San Francisco.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fans pay close attention to how managers explain their decisions<\/a>, and especially how they build up young players\u2019 confidence. No one is particularly concerned about Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and Logan Webb, but fans expect the former college coach who is an expert in player development to help younger Giants \u2014 including Birdsong, Carson Whisenhunt, and Bryce Eldridge \u2014 maximize their potential.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s only so much Vitello can control, but if important prospects and players with limited major-league experience show signs of progress this spring, it will go a long way toward inspiring confidence among the manager\u2019s skeptics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This Cactus League slate, like all others before it, won\u2019t be one for the history books. But it will serve as a meaningful proving ground for a Giants manager who will have the eyes of the baseball industry watching him closely.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This column is an excerpt from our Section 415 newsletter, where we cover the biggest stories in Bay…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":583353,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2408],"tags":[5,162,4,378,66,4343,4340,4344,4341,4342,185,1870],"class_list":{"0":"post-583352","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco-giants","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-giants","10":"tag-mlb","11":"tag-san-francisco","12":"tag-san-francisco-giants","13":"tag-sanfrancisco","14":"tag-sanfranciscogiants","15":"tag-sf","16":"tag-sf-giants","17":"tag-sfgiants","18":"tag-sports","19":"tag-tony-vitello"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116104531764655456","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583352","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=583352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/583353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=583352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=583352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}