Giants' Lost Season Is Finally Giving Tony Vitello Something He Needed

There isn’t much left for the San Francisco Giants in the 2026 season. With a record of 55-79 and 25 games behind the World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, this team is just getting through the remaining games.

There’s not much about this season that Tony Vitello can change now. What he can do, however, is make sure this final month is not wasted.

Injuries piling up and San Francisco’s dismal record have created an opportunity that really, no one wanted, but one that better be taken advantage of.

Vitello can spend September evaluating young players without every decision being dictated by the pressure of the postseason.

Giants Taking on Much Different Look

San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

San Francisco’s lineup doesn’t remotely look close to the veteran-heavy group Vitello was expected to manage when he arrived.

Matt Chapman is out for the season. Willy Adames is on the sidelines with an elbow injury, and Casey Schmitt hasn’t played since July due to knee surgery.

Bryce Eldridge got his chance and he’s already seen 314 at-bats in 88 games. His slash line is .252/.344/.436 with 14 home runs and 36 RBI. He has struck out 96 while also drawing 45 walks.

Drew Gilbert’s audition (if we can call it that anymore) has been longer. He’s seen 109 games and is slashing .243/.324/.392 with eight home runs, 36 RBI and 29 walks.

Neither one of them is a finished product. Vitello is now getting the chance to see them in different circumstances. Struggles, adjusting to MLB pitching and handling consistent playing time should all be on their resume before September is over.

Giants Fighting For Opportunities

San Francisco Giants center fielder Jonah Cox Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The list of auditions runs much deeper than Eldridge and Gilbert.

Jonah Cox has been interesting in limited playing time. The 24-year-old has hit three home runs in 54 at-bats. He is batting .278, and he has also hit two triples and stolen five bases. Even though it’s a limited sample size, his .537 slugging percentage and .841 OPS are head-turning. Truly, though, it’s way too early to make any conclusions here.

Turner Hill is getting his chance. He’s 8-for-26 through 10 games where he has produced four doubles and four RBI while slashing .308/.387/.462.

They have looked pretty good, and then there are the ones on the other side of the line.

Christian Koss is batting just .207 with a .506 OPS through 43 games. Nate Furman is struggling with just one hit in 13 at-bats. Shay Whitcomb has only gotten 14 at-bats since joining the Giants.

September will provide opportunities on all sides. Players will get a real chance to show up and Vitello will be able to evaluate and make decisions about what his next roster will look like.

Not everyone who is taking the field these days will be around in a year. Some will play their way to bigger opportunities, while others will not be what San Francisco is looking for.

A Season Gone Wrong Provides Learning Opportunity

San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Vitello wasn’t hired to evaluate the team. He was hired to win. That hasn’t happened. Nothing over the coming month can erase any of that.

Success can have a different definition in the next 28 games, though.

For players like Eldridge and Gilbert who have already proven their worth, they can establish themselves as building blocks for the next competitive Giants roster. For the other prospects, it might be forcing their way into conversations they weren’t a part of months ago.

For Vitello, success should be determining who he can trust.

There are going to be plenty of tough roster decisions ahead for this organization. There are obvious holes.

Vitello has about a month to determine who he wants to bet on.

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