Buster Posey Makes Giants' Stance on Tony Vitello's Future Crystal Clear

The San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations gave a huge stamp of approval to his rookie manager, despite an abysmal first season

San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello | Credit: Darren Yamashita | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It would be easy to point the blame at just about anyone in the San Francisco Giants organization right now for the team's embarrassing underachievement this season.

From the front office to the field, 2026 has been a year to forget for 'Frisco fans, as the team has been one of the least competitive teams in Major League Baseball.

With a mark of 51-73, they sit 22.5 games out of first place, and they have looked stale and uninspired for the better part of what has turned out to be a lost campaign.

Standing amongst the bullets is the first-year manager Tony Vitello, who already came into the season on thin ice with many fans and observers because he was given the role with absolutely no MLB managing or coaching experience.

Rather, he had been successful at the collegiate level, building a National Championship-winning program with the University of Tennessee Volunteers.

Giants manager Tony Vitello says that the experience he’s getting will make him “a little more educated on things that need to get done” next year.

📝: @JohnSheaHey https://t.co/6OgEDtB7XR

— The San Francisco Standard (@sfstandard) August 16, 2026

So, when he struggles, Vitello becomes an easy target of the fans' ire. But he's more than just some 'kid' who got a big break, or a guy who went to fantasy camp to pretend to play the role. He is the San Fran skipper... for this season and the next, according to his boss.

“Yeah, he’s coming back. It’s not a question,” Giants' president of baseball operations Buster Posey said, according to the San Francisco Standard [subscription needed].

Posey and Vitello are Linked

Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey | Credit: Darren Yamashita | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Posey says he understands some of the criticism that the youthful manager has had trouble getting the most out of veteran stars in his first year by the Bay.

His boss acknowledged those concerns, but said he felt that Vitello is much more than a teacher to aspiring pupils; he's a strategist and motivator, as well.

“I think there’s some truth that he’s probably more used to working with younger players than he is with veterans,” Posey said. “But watching him this year, I just don’t want it to come across that he can’t manage veteran players because I think he’s doing that well, and with a year of experience, and more and more understanding how the pro game works, I think [he’ll] get better and better, with everything.”

Vitello, 47, isn't in over his head, insists the man in charge. In fact, Posey even brought up the roster deficiencies that his own front office must address to give the San Francisco skipper some kind of help as he continues his trek in the Majors. It's one that Posey and the entire franchise hope will lead back to respectability and, eventually, championships.

"Obviously, it’s been written about a lot this year, but we’re going to have to be better, whether that’s through free agency or acquiring talent [in trades], and you hope there’s a guy or two in the system that pops and gives you some meaningful innings.”