{"id":288126,"date":"2025-11-13T00:49:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T00:49:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/288126\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T00:49:32","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T00:49:32","slug":"manager-talks-recruiting-roster-maddon-and-giants-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/288126\/","title":{"rendered":"Manager talks recruiting, roster, Maddon, and Giants history"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAS VEGAS \u2013 New Giants manager Tony Vitello visited the general manager meetings this week to hang out with the team\u2019s brain trust and continue to adjust to the big-league lifestyle amid his historic transition from the University of Tennessee.<\/p>\n

Vitello, 47, a St. Louis native who attended Giants-Cardinals games at Busch Stadium as a kid, played at the University of Missouri, and grew to a wildly successful NCAA coach in Knoxville, is busy compiling a coaching staff, reaching out to players, and determining where he\u2019ll reside in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview with The Standard on Wednesday, in a hallway off the beaten path at the Cosmopolitan Hotel along the Vegas Strip, Vitello opened up on becoming the 40th manager in franchise history and what he anticipates next.<\/p>\n

John Shea: Are you going to live in the city?<\/p>\n

Tony Vitello: Yeah, close to the park. It\u2019d be nice to be within a 10- or 15-minute walk. There\u2019s a couple of properties that my brother-in law\u2019s looked at. Probably need to find a place in Arizona, too.<\/p>\n

Listen toSection 415<\/p>\n

Today<\/p>\n

Section 415: Brock Purdy, Mac Jones, and the 49ers\u2019 path to the playoffs<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

4 days ago<\/p>\n

Section 415: Making sense of the Warriors\u2019 uneven start<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Tuesday, Nov. 4<\/p>\n

Section 415: How Natalie Nakase turned the Valkyries into an immediate force <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Your thoughts of San Francisco? You spent time in the city when playing and coaching for the Salinas Packers summer team in the early 2000s. You\u2019d go to games and watch your old friend from St. Louis, Bill Mueller. Then returned for your introductory press conference.<\/p>\n

I loved it back in the day. We had an absolute blast at the games, around the city, navigating kind of a tourist approach to it. This time, the people were the part that stood out. I interacted with more people as opposed to my younger days, and the people seem extraordinary, not just the ones involved with the Giants, but just the ones I came across. I walked around town a bunch. I had several different meals, and it was a real positive experience.<\/p>\n

What stands out with the culture, the music, the restaurants, the style?<\/p>\n

The variety of just where people are from, where people focus their energy. Obviously, the tech field is something that gets talked about a lot, but also just the variety of the places from one street to the next, whether it\u2019s restaurants, bars, shopping or anything else that\u2019s available. There\u2019s a wide range of options and different backgrounds.<\/p>\n

\"AVitello joined the Giants\u2019 brain trust in Las Vegas this week. | Source: John Shea\/The Standard<\/p>\n

You\u2019re a single guy. Not to cross the line here, but you know there\u2019s going to be a list that comes out including you as one of the city\u2019s most eligible bachelors.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know about that. Ultimately, when I\u2019m asked that question, why am I single or not married, work has probably been the biggest deterrent. I don\u2019t know if that theme\u2019s ever going to go away. Not necessarily that I outwork everybody. It\u2019s just something where I\u2019ve invested my most time, and my thoughts are usually geared towards trying to do a better job. We\u2019ll see how that life balance works out at the next level.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk baseball. You were an extremely successful recruiter in college. Will you help recruit players to the Giants?<\/p>\n

Maybe a little bit. I think it\u2019s about getting to know people more than anything. Time is always a factor when it comes to trust, and we\u2019re starting from scratch. We\u2019re ground zero. One thing that\u2019ll be discussed all year long is my lack of experience. So an easy cheat code for trust is, \u201cHey, I\u2019m Michael Jordan, trust me, this is how you shoot a free throw.\u201d Everyone literally on the globe is going to listen to what he has to say there. So it\u2019s a different set of circumstances for me.<\/p>\n

The Joe Maddon comments. Maddon went on KNBR and said your hiring is \u201cinsulting\u201d because you have no pro experience and are coming directly from college. Didn\u2019t go through the minors or work your way up a more traditional way. What\u2019s your reaction?<\/p>\n

I get it. I just wonder if he\u2019ll still take my call, because he was on my list of people that I wanted to call and seek out advice. There\u2019s a couple of very specific reasons for that with his history. So I wonder if he\u2019ll still take that call. I\u2019ve used him as an example often in recruiting. One thing we did at Tennessee was really try to allow guys to be who they are. That kind of became our brand name, and that\u2019s something that he did with the Cubs in particular.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Are you offended? He did wish you well and said he\u2019s rooting for you to make it work.<\/p>\n

Not at the moment. Everyone\u2019s entitled to their own opinion. For me as I sit here, if it truly is an insult, then that is a segue to saying it\u2019s not going to work. So if it doesn\u2019t work, the Giants will be just fine. I\u2019ll be the one that suffers in that situation. You start with, \u201cWhat is going on in college baseball that can help in pro baseball?\u201d And then you go back to college with, \u201cHey, this is what I learned in pro baseball.\u201d Regardless, it\u2019s a beneficial situation for some people in baseball, and you\u2019re talking about a guy who\u2019s done an enormous amount in baseball in Joe.<\/p>\n

Bruce Bochy joined Dusty Baker as an adviser in the Giants\u2019 front office, and you\u2019ve been in discussions with both. How has that been received?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s times with this job where you feel you\u2019re almost lost in the forest and you\u2019re going to have to find your way. And then you talk to those guys, and you feel like you\u2019re in a Marvel movie and you\u2019ve got a force field or a Captain America shield that can help you with anything. If it\u2019s about the game, anything those guys say, you can fully take it to the bank. As it relates to the job, people, and the organization, the things they\u2019ve said are very helpful and also comforting. So it builds confidence in the back of your mind.<\/p>\n

\"\"Bruce Bochy returned to the Giants as a special advisor after managing the Texas Rangers. | Source: Lindsey Wasson\/Associated Press<\/p>\n

How much will you embrace franchise history? Last spring, Buster Posey invited a dozen or more former players to spend a week apiece in uniform and work with the players. It was a big change from the Farhan Zaidi-Gabe Kapler years and very much welcomed.<\/p>\n

Yeah, as long as I get some autographs I joke about being a fan, but it\u2019s definitely a situation where it\u2019s, pun intended, using bridges around the city. And we do need to have a bridge to the past. We\u2019ve got an easy one in Buster with how successful an era that was, but Buster wasn\u2019t the only guy. Hunter Pence did things on the field but more importantly all the great things I\u2019ve heard about him in the clubhouse. I grew up watching some of the most intense games ever in pro baseball with Will Clark\u2019s Giants and the Cardinals. Boy, if they could have Jeffrey Leonard\u2019s head on a platter in St. Louis, they would have gotten it done. And Kevin Mitchell. You ask, Why were those teams so fun to watch? Where did their intensity come from? What contributed to the success level that they had? And how can we make that a part of what we\u2019ve got going on now or what we\u2019re looking to do?\u201d<\/p>\n

Have you hooked up with all the veterans including Willy Adames, Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, Logan Webb, and Jung Hoo Lee?<\/p>\n

I mean, Willy\u2019s pretty impressive. He\u2019s carrying a reputation with people in pro baseball who have been around him, whether they\u2019re coaches or teammates, that\u2019s pretty tough to beat. You can sense he\u2019s got that character that people are talking about. Webby, I was actually able to hook up with in person. I think very, very soon here, we\u2019ll be able to get with Chapman. His feedback was really useful on the hitting part. Just kind of kind of what he\u2019s looking for, the mental game, too. Probably the first week of December will be with [Rafael] Devers in the Dominican. Me and [Jayce] Tingler will probably go down there. Visiting Jung Hoo in South Korea is a possibility in January.<\/p>\n

\"\"Rafael Devers and Matt Chapman have both played in the major leagues for longer than Vitello worked at the University of Tennessee. | Source: Lachlan Cunningham\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

How close are you to solidifying your coaching staff? We know Tingler and hitting coach Hunter Mense will be on staff and Oscar Bernard, Taira Uematsu, and Eliezer Zambrano were told they\u2019ll be back. A lot of spots to fill. We don\u2019t know yet about Mark Hallberg and Alex Burg. Buster did say Ron Wotus will be back in his same role.<\/p>\n

Definitely past the 50-yard line. I think the foundational work has been put in. Next is kind of the domino effect of, if we\u2019re going to get this guy, who complements him the most out of this? So I think things will go quicker than slower.<\/p>\n

Is analytics a must for any coach?<\/p>\n

Oh yeah. It\u2019s certainly emphasized in different levels for different people and in different organizations, but I think some of the information that\u2019s out there has gotten, pun intended, off the charts with the things you can learn about an opponent or about your own players, and to some extent, that stuff needs to be utilized.<\/p>\n

Jayce Tingler has managing experience in San Diego and figures to be a right-hand man for you in the dugout. How can your old Missouri teammate benefit you?<\/p>\n

This is an accumulation of conversations for almost two decades. We\u2019ve talked about him coming to college or me going to the pros and us working together. A partnership that we had thought about for a long time. What title or what duties go with it, I think it\u2019ll be more clear when we know who else is on the staff and how we want to divvy things up. It\u2019s two guys who want to accomplish as much as possible by helping each other.<\/p>\n

What about Bill Mueller? He was a popular Giants third baseman and, given your relationship with him, would be a natural fit to return to the organization.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve already during the decision process and afterwards have used him as counsel and will continue to do that. I know he\u2019s stuck around home a little bit, but Bill will be in the park and will help me, for sure. Living in Arizona, Bill will be there during spring training and prior to spring training will be a big help organizing what we want to do.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve had some time to go over the roster and the 2025 season. What are the team\u2019s strengths and weaknesses?<\/p>\n

I like the leadership factor. I wasn\u2019t a part of last year\u2019s team, so I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m speaking out of turn, but the impression I get is there are some guys who fully have the capability to lead and want to lead. That core group of guys that was on the field last year and on the mound, are guys that have been successful and I think are more on a trajectory moving forward as opposed to fizzling out in their career. The big X factor, as I\u2019ve dived deep into the roster, there\u2019s some young guys that could explode onto the scene if things click for them the right way. Or at the very least, could be household names in San Francisco by being legitimate everyday guys on the mound or the field.<\/p>\n

\"ALogan Webb is the longest-tenured Giants player and will anchor Vitello\u2019s 2026 rotation. | Source: Thearon W. Henderson\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Among the inefficiencies \u2013 the base running, the outfield defense, the depth issues, the hitting funks, the strikeouts \u2013 what stands out?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all been talked about. You\u2019re in the media, you know negativity always overpowers positivity. But also through changes, you want to analyze what adjustments need to be made. You\u2019re going to push forward and make adjustments. The effort in those conversations don\u2019t guarantee statistical success. You hope it does. But I think just taking the right approach at making some adjustments will be a focal point in spring training and the early part of the season<\/p>\n

Do you realize all eyes will be on you? First day of spring training, first day of the season. Fans, opponents, the media, the front office, your players, everyone will be intrigued.<\/p>\n

I just know that no matter how life goes for me, I don\u2019t want it to be choreographed. I want to be true to myself, and when that moment comes, I guess I\u2019ll roll with the punches and feel that I need to be in that moment. That\u2019s probably the cleanest way to say it. Our first game (March 25 at Oracle Park) is the only game that day. It\u2019s the Yankees. It\u2019s a home game. It\u2019s my first. So all those things have been very well thought about. But when things actually kick off, it\u2019s going to be some pretty good players on our team and some pretty good players on their team who\u2019ll decide who wins the game. I just want to do my part, but I\u2019m certainly not going to have the influence those other guys will.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LAS VEGAS \u2013 New Giants manager Tony Vitello visited the general manager meetings this week to hang out…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288127,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[12402,363,2329,99,130744],"class_list":{"0":"post-288126","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-buster-posey","9":"tag-mlb","10":"tag-san-francisco-giants","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-tony-vitello"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}