Giants closing in on hiring Tennessee’s Tony Vitello for managerial job

The San Francisco Giants are closing in on the end of their managerial search, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello is close to being hired by the Giants.

It’s an unconventional move, as Vitello has yet to have any professional coaching experience. During his time with Tennessee, he helped surge the program to the top of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and snagged a National Championship — the first in school history — in 2024. 

Vitello was key to the turnaround of Tennessee baseball

Vitello holds a 341-131 record in eight seasons as head coach of the Volunteers. After going 29-27 in his first season in 2018, Vitello helped lead Tennessee to SEC regular season, and tournament championships in 2022 and 2024 along with their National title. 

The Giants let go of manager Bob Melvin after two disappointing seasons in San Francisco. He held a 161-163 record during his tenure, missing the playoffs in both seasons. Looking to make a big splash, President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey is taking a risky maneuver by hiring Vitello, if it goes through. 

Vitello will be looking to lead the Giants to their first playoff appearance since 2021. The Giants haven’t made it out the first round of the postseason since 2014, when they defeated the Kansas City Royals in the World Series, so Vitello will have his work cut out for him in year one. Vitello has proven he can take a bottom-feeder college program to the promised land, but the professional landscape is much, much different than the SEC.