Charismatic and brash, Vitello was one of the biggest personalities in the college game. That\u2019s not how it works in the majors, where the spotlight shines brightest on the players.<\/p>\n
Vitello\u2019s challenges will be numerous.<\/p>\n
Tennessee played 65 games last season, 40 percent of a major league season not counting spring training. The grind of a major league season \u2014 and the cross-country travel \u2014 is nothing like what he has experienced.<\/p>\n
The front office controls the roster and coaching staff, and players with guaranteed long-term contracts won\u2019t be nearly as easy to cajole as a college player.<\/p>\n
College programs also can shut the media out any time they like, something not allowed at the highest level.<\/p>\n
But Glavine also sees the benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe won\u2019t have to worry about recruiting, NIL, scheduling, and fundraising. He\u2019ll be able to just focus on baseball,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019ll do a good job. He\u2019ll be able to relate to the players and he knows what he\u2019s getting into. He knows what high-end talent looks like because he\u2019s been around those kind of players and he\u2019s been around that lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3U3C5HN5FTQ2ZKARBCZGGMM5PA.jpg\")
Mike Glavine took over as head coach at Northeastern in 2015.Jonathan Wiggs\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n
Vitello did not take the job without gathering plenty of intelligence. He became close to Max Scherzer at Missouri and coached players like Andrew Benintendi<\/a> and Garrett Crochet<\/a> during his career.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure there are going to be doubters,\u201d Scherzer said. \u201cBut kudos to Buster for recognizing what a leader he is. Tony\u2019s going to bring an energy and a fire to that clubhouse and the players will respond.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s too much reliance on analytics or having somebody behind a laptop who\u2019s never stepped foot on the field telling the manager how to run the game. I was thrilled when I heard about this.\u201d<\/p>\n Another one of Vitello\u2019s former players, outfielder Drew Gilbert, was traded to the Giants last season and made his major league debut.<\/p>\n Gilbert is 25 and has played 39 games in the majors. How veterans like Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers, Robbie Ray, and Logan Webb react to their new manager could be much different.<\/p>\n But the Giants have made the playoffs once in the last nine seasons and are six games under .500 since 2022. Their organizational identity is that they have a beautiful ballpark.<\/p>\n Credit Posey trying something different than hiring one of the well-regarded assistant coaches on the market.<\/p>\n Vitello is a personality. MLB Network hired him an analyst for the draft and he took over the telecast with his opinions. Tennessee fans thought so much of Vitello that they showed up at an intrasquad scrimmage last week and implored him to stay.<\/p>\n His style chafed some coaches in the SEC. But in a division that includes the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Padres, the Giants could use some of that.<\/p>\n As major league rosters become younger, other teams will be watching to see if this works.<\/p>\n The Red Sox are a good example. Had Roman Anthony attended the University of Mississippi instead of signing with the Sox he would have been eligible for the 2025 Draft. Instead he made his major league debut June 9.<\/p>\n Payton Tolle debuted at 22, only 15 months after he pitched his final game at TCU.<\/p>\n At 22, Toronto rookie Trey Yesavage has already started four games in the postseason and 21-year-old Jackson Chourio was one of Milwaukee\u2019s best players this season.<\/p>\n Managers, the Sox\u2019 Alex Cora<\/a> among them, often lament that players arrive in the majors armed with individual skills but lacking a deeper understanding of team fundamentals and how to handle situations that come up in games.<\/p>\n MLB\u2019s 2020 decision to eliminate to condense the draft to 20 rounds and eliminate short-season leagues created even fewer teaching opportunities.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the last few years major league teams have been hiring a lot of coaches out of college programs to work in player development,\u201d said UConn coach Jim Penders, who had four of his former players in the majors this season.<\/p>\n \u201cCollege coaches are teachers first, that\u2019s their vocation. I think that\u2019s the mentality that [Vitello] will bring. The question is can you do that over 162 games? We try to be more transformative than transactional with our players. Can you do that managing players in their 30s who have their own families? I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n A comparison could be made to Pat Murphy, a legendary former college coach who has won 190 games the last two seasons managing the Brewers<\/a>.<\/p>\n But he played in the minors and coached with the Padres and Brewers before becoming manager. What Vitello is doing is something entirely different.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unfathomable,\u201d Penders said.<\/p>\n But Glavine sees it as a no-risk move for Vitello.<\/p>\n \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t work, college programs would be lining up to hire him,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of people will be watching to see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n PIECES IN PLACE<\/p>\n Red Sox offseason seems simple<\/p>\n Let\u2019s assume Trevor Story stays with the Red Sox rather than opt out of his contract and leave $55 million on the table. That decision will be due after the World Series.<\/p>\n The shortstop is coming off a solid season. But Story also turns 33 in November and has missed 328 games the last four years because of injuries.<\/p>\n Story has said his intention is to stay with the Sox. That would make Marcelo Mayer available to play to second base or third base.<\/p>\n From there, the Red Sox offseason would not seem particularly complicated.<\/p>\n The first task would be to sign or trade for a No. 2 starter. Then either retain third baseman Alex Bregman<\/a> or add another righthanded hitter with power. <\/p>\n Everything else is filling in the gaps.<\/p>\n Kutter Crawford, Cooper Criswell, Hunter Dobbins, Connelly Early, Richard Fitts, Kyle Harrison, Luis Perales, Patrick Sandoval, and Payton Tolle would be candidates for the two open spots in the rotation coming into spring training.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a significant amount of depth that could be supplemented by some value signings.<\/p>\n The Red Sox have their closer (Aroldis Chapman) and their setup man (Garrett Whitlock). The only real bullpen need is replacing lefthander Justin Wilson, who will be a free agent.<\/p>\n The Sox scored 786 runs this season despite all their injuries and the unexpected trade of Rafael Devers. Full seasons from Mayer and outfielder Roman Anthony should improve on that, as would the return of first baseman Triston Casas to even just a league average level.<\/p>\n Even if they trade an outfielder to fill another need, the Sox are set up to have a potent lineup.<\/p>\n A few other observations on the Red Sox:<\/p>\n \u25aa Catcher Tyler Heineman spent most of the 2024 season with Triple A Worcester, appearing in only two games for the Red Sox. The Blue Jays claimed the 34-year-old off waivers late in the season and he emerged as their backup this year.<\/p>\n \u201c[The Red Sox] are doing a really good job with their pitchers and how they develop them,\u201d Heineman said. \u201cI caught Dobbins and Fitts and a lot of the guys who were in their bullpen this year.<\/p>\n \u201cI have respect for the way they went about it. They had good plans for each pitcher and the way they communicated it was great.\u201d <\/p>\n \u25aa The Blue Jays are high on infielder Cutter Coffey, who was acquired from the Sox in the 2024 trade for catcher Danny Jansen<\/a>.<\/p>\n A second-round pick in 2018, Coffey started to show some power at High A Greenville in \u201924 then had 26 doubles and 11 homers for High A Vancouver this season and earned a spot in the Arizona Fall League.<\/p>\n \u25aa The Hall of Fame will reveal the players on the Contemporary Baseball Era ballot Nov. 3. The results will be announced Dec. 7.<\/p>\n The ballot is chosen by 11 writers and historians and is voted on by a 16-member group made up largely of Hall of Fame players and veteran executives.<\/p>\n Dwight Evans is eligible to be on this ballot<\/a> as the contemporary era encompasses players who\u2019s greatest impact came from 1980 on.<\/p>\n ETC.<\/p>\n Return engagement with Ohtani in Toronto?<\/p>\n The Blue Jays were runners-up for Shohei Ohtani in 2023 before he signed with the Dodgers, to a point there were erroneous reports that had him flying to Toronto to sign a contract.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we met with him, you felt good about it, and you felt good about the feedback he was giving about our organization and an opportunity here,\u201d Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you never really know what a player\u2019s feeling in free agency, and there\u2019s a lot of things that have to line up for them personally, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Schneider said the Blue Jays presented Ohtani with a team cap at their meeting and a jacket for his dog, Decoy. Then he picked the Dodgers and kept the swag.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like, give us our stuff back already,\u201d Schneider joked.<\/p>\n Ohtani said the hat is in his garage in California.<\/p>\n Toronto also pursued Roki Sasaki last offseason, hosting him for a visit in January. The belief around the league was that Sasaki met with teams only to gain information and intended to pick the Dodgers from the beginning.<\/p>\n Sasaki pushed back on that idea when asked about the Blue Jays.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth teams, the front office, the analysis was spot-on and I came away very impressed with both teams,\u201d he said via a translator. \u201cI\u2019ve stated some things in the press conference, but it\u2019s actually really hard to express why I eventually chose the Dodgers.\u201d<\/p>\n Mookie Betts had an uncharacteristically low .664 OPS through Aug. 3. It was too late to save his season statistically, but Betts hit .311 with an .847 OPS in his final 48 games of the regular season after he spent some time with former teammate J.D. Martinez when the Dodgers were in Tampa to play the Rays. \u201cWe hung out, we hit, we went to eat. He kind of just came to check in,\u201d Betts said. \u201cWe did a lot mentally, some physical [adjustments], but a lot mentally just to help me get back on track.\u201d Their relationship goes back to 2018 when Martinez signed with the Red Sox and quickly became a clubhouse presence. They also played together with the Dodgers in 2023. Martinez knew what Betts needed to hear. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t really worried about the performance, per se. He was more worried about mentally being able to perform, being in the right spot mentally to perform,\u201d Betts said. \u201cI\u2019m appreciative for him. He said at a lot of things at that time that registered. He\u2019s not my hitting coach or hitting friend. Just a genuine friend that came to hang out.\u201d \u2026 Pete Walker pitched for the Blue Jays from 2002-06 then rejoined the organization as a minor league coach in 2009. Walker became the pitching coach in 2013 and has lasted through three managers. \u201cYou go through some difficult times as a coaching staff, as an organization,\u201d he said. \u201cTo be able to see it through to the World Series is just so refreshing. It\u2019s just something that obviously tugs at my heart.\u201d Walker was born in Beverly and grew up with older brothers who were Red Sox fans. \u201cI was 5 when we moved to Connecticut but we had those Red Sox roots,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce I put on a Blue Jays uniform at Fenway, they kind of severed those ties. But it\u2019s been quite a ride.\u201d \u2026 It would have pleased Tim Wakefield<\/a> to know the Tigers have a 28-year-old knuckleballer named Kenny Serwa who made it to Double A this season and is playing in the Arizona Fall League. Serwa played for four colleges and two independent teams before the Tigers signed him in January. He had a 3.58 ERA in 27 minor league games. Serwa throws an unusually hard knuckler (88 m.p.h.) that darts more than it floats \u2026 Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, a Wisconsin native who grew up a Brewers fan, was supposed to throw out a first pitch at American Family Field in 2024. But the Brewers rescinded their invitation after the Pacers beat the Bucks in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Haliburton never forgot the slight and wore Cubs and Dodgers jerseys during the playoffs this season. \u201cBaseball, I\u2019m a free agent,\u201d he said \u2026 Happy birthday to Dave Coleman, who is 75. An outfielder from Ohio, Coleman played 11 games for the Red Sox in 1977<\/a>, going 0 for 12 with a walk. Coleman made his major league debut on April 13 at Comiskey Park when he pinch hit for Denny Doyle in the seventh inning. With the Red Sox down, 3-1, and a runner on second base, Coleman popped out to shortstop. Bob Ryan, covering the game for the Globe, wrote that manager Don Zimmer was asked why Coleman was his choice instead of a more experienced player. \u201cI just picked the man I thought could get a base hit for us,\u201d Zimmer said. Coleman was an 18th-round draft pick in 1969 and signed with the Sox in 1970. He played parts of seven seasons in the minors before getting called up. The Sox traded Coleman to the Twins before the 1970 season but he didn\u2019t return to the majors before leaving baseball after the \u201981 season.<\/p>\n![\"Red](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/REZDBFXF2XWALP24AR2MXAYMMQ.JPG\")
Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story can opt out of the his contract this offseason.Danielle Parhizkaran\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n![\"Shohei](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/NCWD7URHPKNO6V3T6DQQ7SUFSM.jpg\")
Shohei Ohtani (center) and Roki Sasak (right) both entertained the Blue Jays before signing with the Dodgers.Jayne Kamin-Oncea\/Associated Press<\/p>\n![\"J.D.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/BE44INW3UII6RL6VIQZDLTMLXI.jpg\")
J.D. Martinez (left) and Mookie Betts celebrated winning the 2018 World Series together as Red Sox teammates.Stan Grossfeld<\/p>\n