The San Francisco Giants are making an unprecedented move with their manager hire.
University of Tennessee baseball manager Tony Vitello has agreed to a deal to become the Giants’ next manager, ESPN reported Wednesday. With the move, Vitello becomes the first coach to be hired as an MLB manager directly from the college game without any professional coaching experience.
Vitello, 47, has overseen the best stretch Tennessee baseball has ever had in his eight-year tenure as the program’s manager. He’s gone 341–131 over that time, winning the College World Series in 2024. He’s coached a handful of current Major Leaguers, including Garrett Crochet and Drew Gilbert, during his time at Tennessee. The latter is a current outfielder for the Giants.
Several of Vitello’s former players are also currently in the Giants’ farm system, such as 2025 first-round pick Gavin Kilen, pitcher Blade Tidwell and shortstop Maui Ahuna.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
