SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Tony Vitello was more nervous Tuesday talking about a Waymo trip he planned to take in a driverless car this spring than he was for his first day on the job as manager of the San Francisco Giants.
Vitello, in his first spring-training press conference, rambled, philosophized, cajoled, and turned the first day of the Giants’ camp into a businessmen’s meet-and-greet. He didn’t give out name-tags, but required everyone to wear their official spring training jerseys with their names on the back.
“You want to set a vibe,’’ Vitello said, “for what you want your team to be.’’
It’s a new era in San Franciso, where the Giants took the biggest gamble in all of baseball this winter with the hiring of Vitello, a wildly successful college coach at Tennessee, but the first to transition directly from a college to MLB manager in baseball history.
“The one thing I will say without hopefully sounding too preachy,’’ Vitello said, “is college coaches deserve a lot of credit.’’
The biggest challenge Vitello immediately faces is his lack of familiarity with his own team. He coached two of the Giants’ players at Tennessee: outfielder Drew Gilbert and pitcher Blade Tidwell. He recruited, albeit unsuccessfully, two Giants to be on his college team: Sam Hentges when he was at Arkansas and first baseman Bryce Eldridge at Tennessee.
But, for the rest, well, there was a reason he traveled to meet Jung Hoo Lee in South Korea, Willy Adames in the Dominican Republic, and moved into his spring-training home three weeks ago to meet early arrivals and players who live in the Phoenix area.
“It’s a little different when you don’t have the recruiting background as far as relationships go,’’ Vitello said. “I just wanted to let everyone know where I was coming from. … I think there’s decisions and conversations that come with any role, so by now at least everybody hopefully knows my name.’’
While Vitello claims he rambled during his introductory speech with the team, arriving about 20 minutes late for his first spring training press conference, his boss, Buster Posey, and the Giants’ players disagreed.
Nothing personal against former manager Bob Melvin, who was fired after the season − just two months after his option was exercised − but the Giants raved about the energy and passion exhibited by Vitello.
“It was inspiring, pretty amped up in a good way,’’ Giants reliever Ryan Walker told USA TODAY Sports. “Bo-Mel was like chill. He’s at one level. He would introduce himself, tell us what the goal for the season is, and that kind of stuff. It was all in a chill-like voice.
“Then, you get Vitello, who’s more energetic. He’s coming from college so he’s got this louder voice, bringing more energy to the meeting.’’
It was no different than back in 2014, Hentges says, when Vitello recruited him out of high school in Shoreview, Minnesota Hentges was drafted by Cleveland in the fourth round and turned pro. Still, he kept in touch with Vitello over the years, and when it was time for him to decide where he wanted to pitch after missing last season with shoulder surgery, Vitello was the difference-maker.
“We haven’t been super, super tight,’’ Hentges said, “but I kept tabs with him. So, I was super excited, and obviously it’s super cool to see him again. He gave me a little jab about finally coming to join him, but I told him that he did all right for himself the last 10 years without me.
“Guys in here who have played for him at Tennessee keep raving about him. He’s got a great baseball mind, (is) a great motivator, and I’ve heard he’s a great leader. A big, big energy guy. I know it’s a different situation going straight from college to the big leagues, but I think he’s fully capable of it.’’
Giants All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman says he has spent quality time with Vitello the last few weeks working out in Phoenix, exchanging ideas and thoughts to help the Giants get back to the postseason for the first time in five years. The Giants won 107 games in 2021, interrupting the Dodgers’ NL West division title dynasty, but haven’t produced a winning record since, and are now on their third manager in four years.
“We have high hopes for this team,’’ said Posey, president of baseball operations, who could have brought back future Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy, but instead took the gamble with Vitello. Bochy was hired as a special advisor, joining Dusty Baker.
Certainly, one spring training morning is not going to validate Posey’s bold move to hire Vitello, but being with him in the back fields, watching how he interacted and worked with players, only cemented his decision.
“The first time I got to see him (coaching players) was when we were in Korea and he started working with some high schoolers,’’ Posey said, “and I just saw a switch come on. I saw it today in the meeting when he’s addressing the pitchers. What I’ve learned about him is that he’s really good about turning that switch on when he needs to carry himself very confidently.
“He talked a lot about mentality and mindset, which I’m a big believer in as well. It’s hard to glean too much from the first day of pitchers and catchers, but we’re off to a good start.’’
The players immediately embraced the idea of wearing their spring-training uniforms with their names across the back. It was a professional look, straight out of the pages of Hall of Fame managers Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa.
You look like a professional ballplayer, you play like one.
“Putting on your jersey and going out there was like putting on a Superman cape,’’ Walker said. “You got out there with a certain composure and a certain mindset.’’
It was Vitello saying, “There’s a new sheriff in town, and his name is Tony Vitello.’’
“He loves the game and he’s passionate about teaching,’’ Posey said. “I think that’s why he had a successful career in the college ranks, and why I think he’ll be successful here as well because those two things will take you a long ways as a coach. I think the guys will feel quickly that he’ll be in the trenches with them. And he’ll care about them. But if he needs to push them, he’ll push them as well. …
“I think Tony’s authentic, and for me if you’re true to yourself and authentic, I think people will buy into it.’’
You don’t need to convince Chapman, a nine-year veteran, who already is a Vitello believer.
“From all of my interactions with him,’’ Chapman said, “I’m super excited to have him in charge. I feel like he’s going to do a great job for us. I feel like he’s got a really good baseball mind. You can tell he’s smart and is intense and competitive. I think he’s going to be a good fit for us.’’
And yes, even without a single day of professional experience.
“I mean, whether you’re playing at the highest level in college or the major leagues or the minor leagues,’’ Chapman said, “winning baseball looks the same. It’s pitching, defense, knowing how to run the bases and then managing personalities and managing guys. So, he has a lot of experience doing that.
“There is obviously going to be a learning curve in some areas. You can’t fully know how to run a major league clubhouse unless you’ve been in one. But I think it’s not something foreign to him. He’s a baseball guy, you know? He’s done things at a high level, so I think the transition will be smooth.’’
The Giants are confident Vitello can make the transition, even giving him the largest contract in history for a first-year manager, paying him $3.5 million annually for three years. If it works, the Giants could be trend-setters. If it fails, well, maybe there was a reason this has never happened before in MLB history.
But … why hasn’t anyone ever hired a manager directly from the college ranks before?
“I’m assuming like all of the things that have been written,’’ Posey said, “it’s 162 games versus 60. You’re dealing with players that are making a lot of money. I do think that there used to be a bigger gap between college and professional baseball. Now, I think that gap has shrunk some.’’
If the Giants win, and Vitello gets strong reviews, could it open the door for other collegiate coaches?
“We’ll see,’’ Posey said. “I hope I’m not hiring a manager for 20 years.’’
And for Vitello, well, the two words he lives by are risk and challenge, whether it’s the risk and challenge of managing the Giants, or the risk and challenge of taking that first autonomous Waymo ride.
“We’re in the Waymo capital of the world, which is kind of creepy,’’ Vitello said. “I think I maybe got to do it just for the experience. I’ll probably jump in one at some point. Maybe I’ll take a video and document it.
“But I think I’m going to make sure it’s a very short ride.’’
And long ride as manager of the Giants.
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