The Giants have yet to make the official announcement* but there's a picture of Coach V on the website and an article about the "near deal" in place.
Also, MLBTR has a confirmation from Tennessee AD Danny White that Vitello is leaving.
Amateur teams are not run by managers but rather by (head) coaches. Only professional teams have managers. Tony Vitello's entire baseball experience, from player to head coach, has taken place in the amateur realm. This is very unusual in MLB circles. Most managers come with professional experience of some kind.
It seems that Buster is a bust-a-move kinda guy. He doesn't sit back and make safe choices. He goes "all-in" on his vision. He shimmies when everyone else is still shakin'.
I think there are a few things happening. One, Buster believes players come to the big leagues not fully ready to play. They need more coaching, more development. Funny, that was Gabe Kapler's schtick! It didn't go over well. Vitello will need a different approach. Two, Buster thinks the team isn't sufficiently on top of the "little things" that come up in every game. Fundamentals and situational awareness, stuff like that. He wants a hyper-attentive captain at the helm.
Finally, the college game is increasingly professionalized. It's entirely invaded by corporate interests. Athletic budgets are in absurd territories. The whole NIL thing along with the transfer "portal" and all that crap has fundamentally changed the game. I remember when the College World Series was strictly for baseball nerds. I suspect there will be more movement between MLB and the NCAA going forward.
Congratulations to Tony Vitello for nailing the job. Welcome to the Giants! And welcome to BusterTime™, Giants fans. Get used to the big and the bold from our kick-ass PoBO.
--M.C.
*they did so just a few minutes past noon Pacific Time
2 comments:
This is from Mark Polishuk at MLBTR:
Though Melvin’s time in San Francisco was uneventful, it will be fascinating to see how the team and the organization as a whole adjusts from a Major League lifer (and three-time Manager of the Year winner) like Melvin to Vitello in his first foray into pro baseball. That said, Vitello has something of an old-school approach himself, with a focus on fundamentals and competitiveness.
In a recent appearance on a Youth.inc podcast (hat tip to Baggarly for the partial transcript), Vitello said “I think everyone is suffering the consequences all the way up to the big leagues where guys are super skilled, but there’s less development, less coaching, less accountability and therefore less understanding of how to actually play the game to win. And it starts all the way, trickle-down effect.”
As Baggarly notes, Posey has shared similar critiques about players, which may explain why Vitello became a more attractive managerial candidate in the PBO’s eyes. It is also worth noting that Vitello may not have been Posey’s initial top choice, as initial reports pegged former Giants catcher Nick Hundley as a favorite for the manager’s position. Hundley withdrew his name from consideration, reportedly due to concerns over how the day-to-day grind of managing in the big leagues would impact his family.
Michael Baumann at FanGraphs has a lengthy but really good piece about Vitello and the Giants. Here's the last bit for those who'd rather skip it:
There’s a lot to like about this hire. Vitello is going to be at home as the frontman for a major league team. He’s a great motivator who’s popular with his players. A field manager who’s used to acting as a de facto GM might mesh really well with Posey, an executive who’s more comfortable the closer he gets to the field.
But I have no idea how this is going to go. That uncertainty — and the fact that the Giants are brave enough to embrace it — is what I like most.
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