Baseball insider gives update on Tony Vitello situation, potential deal with Giants
Published:
Baseball insider Jeff Passan and ESPN insider colleague Pete Thamel reported on Saturday afternoon that a decision on Tennessee coach Tony Vitello becoming the next manager of the San Francisco Giants is expected to come in the next 24 to 72 hours.
Passan and Thamel also reported that the 47-year-old Vitello, who led the Volunteers to the 2024 national championship, “has emerged as the top target of the Giants, but the sides have yet to reach a deal.”
According to the Knoxville New Sentinel, Vitello said that “nothing is done” between himself and the Giants. The team is trying to replace Bob Melvin, who was fired after going 161-163 in 2 seasons as San Francisco’s manager.
According to a report by The Athletic earlier Saturday, the Giants were “closing in” on hiring Vitello, who doesn’t have any managerial experience at the major-league level or even in the minor leagues. Vitello served as an assistant coach at Mizzou, his alma mater, TCU and Arkansas before taking the coaching job at Tennessee in 2018.
He also led Tennessee to the College World Series in 2021 and 2023 before winning it all in Omaha in 2024. Vitello has a record of 341-131 in his 8 seasons in Knoxville.
Vitello played his college baseball at Mizzou, where he was an infielder from 2000-2002.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
