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5d ago

Giants Name Tennessee’s Tony Vitello Manager in Unprecedented College-to-MLB Leap

Buster Posey frames the hire as a culture reset built on Vitello’s player-development chops.

FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - JUNE 08: Head Coach Tony Vitello of the Tennessee Volunteers during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field during the NCAA Baseball Super Regional - Fayetteville on June 08, 2025 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Volunteers 11-4. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
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FILE – Tennessee coach Tony Vitello, center, hoists the championship trophy following his team’s 6-5 victory against Texas A&M in Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals in Omaha, Neb., June 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz, File)
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Overview

  • San Francisco and Tennessee confirmed the move Wednesday, with team statements from Posey and Vitello and public congratulations from Vols athletic director Danny White.
  • It marks the first time an MLB club has hired a manager directly from a college head-coaching job with no prior professional coaching experience.
  • Vitello, 47, transformed the Volunteers into a national power with a 341-131 record and the program’s first NCAA title in 2024.
  • ESPN reported the Giants were willing to cover a $3 million buyout in Vitello’s Tennessee contract, and the club scheduled an Oct. 30 introductory news conference at Oracle Park.
  • He replaces Bob Melvin after a fourth straight missed postseason and inherits a clubhouse that already features former Tennessee standouts such as Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell.