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<\/a>San Francisco Giants\u2019 Heliot Ramos (17) can only watch as a ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers\u2019 Miguel Rojas (72) leaves the park for a solo home run in the fifth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, July 13, 2025. (Nhat V. Meyer\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\nSo, Posey took another swing by firing manager Bob Melvin and shocking the baseball industry by replacing him with the University of Tennessee\u2019s Tony Vitello<\/a>. When the Giants hosted the New York Yankees on March 25, it was Vitello\u2019s first regular-season game in the professional ranks in any capacity.<\/p>\n San Francisco\u2019s coaching staff underwent a massive transformation, but the roster remains fundamentally the same. Instead of making another splash \u00e0 la Adames and Devers, the Giants\u2019 brass added around the margins without putting significant money on the books. If San Francisco is going to compete for a playoff spot, it will be the product of internal development.<\/p>\n Maybe that will be enough for the Giants to snag a wild card spot. Maybe it will result in a fifth straight season of .500 or worse. Here are four keys for the Giants to be successful ahead of Posey\u2019s second season in charge.<\/p>\n Welcome to the show<\/p>\n The Giants\u2019 most important addition this offseason was not Tyler Mahle<\/a> or Adrian Houser<\/a> or Sam Hentges<\/a> or Jason Foley<\/a> or Daniel Susac<\/a> or any non-roster invitees. Down the road, with retrospect, it might be shortstop Luis Hernandez<\/a>, the top position player in this year\u2019s international signing class. He\u2019s also just 17.<\/p>\n At this moment, it\u2019s Vitello.<\/p>\n Vitello brings roughly two decades of experience in the college game to San Francisco. He played three seasons at Missouri, was an assistant at three programs (Mizzou, Texas Christian University, and Arkansas) and then elevated Tennessee from the doldrums back to the limelight by stacking wins \u2014 and hurt feelings.<\/p>\n Major League Baseball is the same sport, but it\u2019s a different animal.<\/p>\n In college, Vitello\u2019s seasons ended at around 60 games. In the pros, that\u2019s not even 40 percent of the schedule.<\/p>\n In college, Vitello\u2019s players were in their late teens or early 20s. In the pros, the players are mostly full-fledged adults, some of whom have nine-figure contracts.<\/p>\n In Knoxville, Vitello was Tennessee baseball. In San Francisco, he\u2019s a cog in the machine.<\/p>\n His coaching staff features a pair of former managers in Ron Washington<\/a> and Jayce Tingler. Bruce Bochy rejoined the organization<\/a> as a special advisor to baseball operations, giving Posey his seal of approval before the Giants officially hired Vitello. Dusty Baker and Ron Wotus will be invaluable sounding boards as well.<\/p>\n The onus of making the playoffs won\u2019t fall on Vitello alone; players still have to play. But the baseball world will be watching very closely to see how Vitello\u2019s tenure plays out.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s on first?<\/p>\n Devers and Bryce Eldridge share some important similarities \u2014 similarities that leave the Giants with a bit of a conundrum.<\/p>\n They\u2019re both left-handed hitters. They both have power. Most importantly, they\u2019re both limited to first base and designated hitter.<\/p>\n The Giants knew they\u2019d have to figure out the pairing of Devers and Eldridge when they traded for the former last summer. Would they both play first base? Would Devers be the DH and Eldridge the first baseman? Or vice versa?<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t a clear picture who will be better defensively. But for at least the start of the season, the job is Devers\u2019. But Eldridge is just a call away in Sacramento following his 10-game cup of coffee in September.<\/p>\n Eldridge is eight years younger and boasts a 6-foot-7 frame with a rocket arm dating to his days as a pitcher in high school. Devers has more than 8,000 major-league innings at third base and showed some very respectable picking ability in 28 games last season at first base.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an imperfect pairing, one that will make it difficult for other players to get the occasional DH day. But if Eldridge becomes the hitter the Giants think he can be, it\u2019s an imperfect pairing worth balancing.<\/p>\n Pop, pop, pop<\/p>\n Even when accounting for ballpark and the league-wide run environment, the Giants have been a below-average offense over the last four seasons<\/a>. This year\u2019s lineup, however, has some serious pop potential.<\/p>\n Devers has averaged 32 homers over the past five seasons. Adames broke the Giants\u2019 30-homer drought, the third time in his career he\u2019s touched that mark. Matt Chapman has at hit at least 21 homers in six of his nine seasons in the majors. Heliot Ramos has back-to-back seasons with at least 21 homers. Casey Schmitt had 12 homers over 95 games, a 20-homer pace. Eldridge has yet to hit his first major-league home run but possesses elite power.<\/p>\n On paper, this group has the potential to generate some thump. Can that translate into an above-average offense for the first time since 2021?<\/p>\n<\/a>San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello talks to players in the dugout before their MLB game against the Sultanes de Monterrey at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, March 23, 2026. (Jane Tyska\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n<\/a>San Francisco Giants infielder Rafael Devers #16 takes infield practice during the San Francisco Giants spring training workout at Scottsdale Stadium on February 16, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
\n(John Medina\/Special to Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n<\/a>San Francisco Giants\u2019 Willy Adames (2) follows his solo home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of their MLB game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (Ray Chavez\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n