Vitello embracing Giants 'challenge' as he goes pro

SAN FRANCISCO -- Tony Vitello afloat recognizes helium is simply a astir unconventional call-up to Major League Baseball, making the leap from the assemblage coaching ranks astatine Tennessee to the San Francisco Giants portion bypassing the insignificant league workplace system.

Yet Vitello hardly seems fazed by the pressures of taking specified a daunting path. "This is simply a situation that has been presented to me," helium said Thursday astatine his introductory quality league with the Giants.

He plans to get into outpouring grooming drills close distant alongside his Giants team, throwing batting signifier oregon hitting fungoes successful an effort to assistance amended immoderate fundamentals.

San Francisco's caller manager, who is 47, makes it wide his ain skills are a acold outcry from those of the players helium volition beryllium starring aft landing the occupation with nary nonrecreational acquisition arsenic a subordinate oregon coach. He plans to thin connected the team's seasoned leaders to usher those who mightiness request immoderate other support.

He has immoderate coagulated options, too, including franchise faces Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Logan Webb.

"I bash deliberation we're reaching this play wherever fundamentals and the mode guys bid are wholly different," Vitello said. "You've seen maturation successful velos and powerfulness and velocity and things similar that.

"I deliberation there's been immoderate things mislaid erstwhile a kid is increasing up connected conscionable however to descent and however to bash things that look overly simple. If you haven't practiced it, you haven't been taught it, however are you going to beryllium bully astatine it? How tin you beryllium expected to beryllium bully astatine it? I deliberation [for] immoderate of those younger players, it needs to beryllium emphasized more."

Along with bringing the Giants backmost to prominence and playoff occurrence -- yes, that taxable came up successful discussions with President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey arsenic they effort to summation crushed connected the NL West powerfulness and rival Dodgers -- everybody progressive hopes to spot immoderate semipermanent stableness astatine the managerial presumption aft changeless turnover successful caller years.

Posey is besides conscionable much than a twelvemonth into his relation aft the firing of Farhan Zaidi past year.

The Giants dismissed manager Bob Melvin aft they went 81-81 successful his 2nd play and missed the playoffs for a fourth-straight year. San Francisco hasn't reached the postseason since winning the NL West with a franchise-record 107 victories to borderline the rival Dodgers by 1 crippled successful 2021 nether Gabe Kapler.

"We'll each enactment together. The full extremity is to make a enslaved present betwixt everybody astatine the apical each the mode down to immoderate you see the bottommost of the extent chart," Vitello said. "We're successful this unneurotic now, whether you similar maine oregon not."

He is animated and high-energy, acknowledging determination volition beryllium a ample learning curve, regular adjustments to beryllium made and that motivating assemblage athletes won't beryllium the aforesaid arsenic uncovering ways to propulsion professionals who person been doing this for decades.

His attack astatine Tennessee: "Coach guys arsenic individuals."

"I'm afloat alert of the contented that's here, the excellence," helium said.

All his life, Vitello watched begetter Greg manager and rehash games afterward, analyzing what helium mightiness person done differently. Vitello acknowledged parent Kathy mightiness similar helium code it down sometimes.

"When we archetypal started talking to Tony, it was abundantly wide helium was a earthy leader," Posey said.

He can't hold to clasp Bay Area life, arsenic a euphony aficionado and self-described foodie. And Vitello has aspirations of jumping successful the bay and completing the Alcatraz aquatics to stroke disconnected immoderate steam and pain a fewer calories.

It was wide manager Zack Minasian who archetypal floated to Posey the anticipation of hiring Vitello.

"As overmuch arsenic this feels retired of the box, Tony's sanction has been bouncing astir Major League Baseball for a while," Minasian said.

Vitello said helium and Posey had a large speech aft Game 7 of the American League Championship Series betwixt Toronto and Seattle, and negotiations progressed. Posey liked Vitello's communal vision.

"The unsocial happening astir this process was and it's 1 happening I've truly travel to admit astir Tony. and honestly made maine consciousness much assured successful this decision, is helium was hard to get ahold of due to the fact that helium was connected the tract each the clip oregon helium was bouncing metropolis to metropolis rec...