Giants legend gives verdict on new skipper Tony Vitello

The 2025 season was one to forget for the San Francisco Giants. Despite starting strong, the eight-time World Series champions ended the campaign with an 81-81 record. Finishing third in the NL West and two games outside the top three in the NL wildcard, the Giants failed to make the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.

In an effort to shake things up ahead of 2026, the organization decided to part ways with former skipper Bob Melvin, appointing Tony Vitello to take over. Though Vitello has a great reputation at collegiate level, he has never managed in the big leagues, making this quite a gutsy appointment on San Francisco's part.

On Saturday's episode of "MLB Tonight", Giants legend Hunter Pence was asked about his opinion on the hire.

"I got to interview him (Vitello) one time several years ago. This guy is just obsessed with baseball, he's full send, it's his whole soul. Vitello has an aggressive mindset, he has an aura, he changes the room. He has confidence, he's a forward thinker, he understands the mechanics of the game, so it's going to be exciting to see how they balance it all out. I think it's going to be very interesting. After you meet him and you see him walk into a room, you can see why he's the guy Buster [Posey] believes in," Pence said.

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"This guy's a winner" - Giants POBO Buster Posey shares his thoughts on Tony Vitello's credentials

As the San Francisco Giants formally announced the hire of Tony Vitello via a press conference, president of baseball operations Buster Posey had his say on the 47-year-old's coaching credentials.

"This guy’s a winner. He has a vision to be great, not just for himself. That’s going to rub off on those around him. There’s an expectation that he’ll get the best from everybody that he comes into contact with. Tony’s a teacher. He’s a motivator, a tireless worker and someone who understands how to build culture. I’m thrilled to have Tony as our manager. I have high confidence that together we can build something really special here in San Francisco,” Posey said

Tony Vitello is formally announced as San Francisco's new manager - Source: Getty

Tony Vitello's appointment as the Giants' new manager makes him the first ever manager to transition directly from a college program to managing in the major leagues without prior professional coaching experience.

Edited by Raghav Mehta