Vitello says he was selfish' to take Giants manager job, but it was right decision'

"Tony Vitello will arrive in the Bay Area next week with a clear conscience. That doesn't mean the Giants' new manager didn't agonize over his decision to leave the University of Tennessee. It was selfish, Vitello told a handful of reporters, including from the Knoxville News Sentinel, this week in Knoxville. It was personal reasons. I have always tried to be a good teammate, but I feel like I made a selfish decision that was one I needed to make. It was the right decision."

"Vitello will be officially introduced as the Giants' 40th manager on Thursday, eight days after he was picked by Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey to replace Bob Melvin. The delay is to avoid, as much as possible, stealing some of the spotlight from the Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series. Game 1 is tonight in Toronto. The Giants' introductory news conference would be on the off-day before a potential Game 6."

"There already has been plenty of discussion about Posey's bold move to hire the fiery 47-year-old Vitello. He has established himself as one of the top (and colorful) coaches in college baseball the Volunteers won the College World Series in 2024 and under his seven-year watch Tennessee has had nearly a dozen first-round draft picks and 52 players drafted in all. But he's the first coach to jump directly from campus into a MLB manager job."

Tony Vitello agonized over leaving Tennessee and characterized the move as selfish and driven by personal reasons. He will be introduced as the San Francisco Giants' 40th manager on Thursday, eight days after Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey selected him to replace Bob Melvin. The introduction was delayed to avoid stealing spotlight from the Dodgers-Blue Jays World Series. Vitello built a fiery reputation at Tennessee, winning the 2024 College World Series and producing nearly a dozen first-round draft picks and 52 players drafted overall in seven years. He becomes the first coach to move directly from college to an MLB managerial post and met briefly with select Tennessee media, limiting answers to questions about Tennessee coaching and his life.

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