National Insider Raises Questions About Tony Vitello's Future With Giants

The San Francisco Giants were looking for change when they looked to the University of Tennessee and found Tony Vitello.

Instead of the change they were looking for, the experiment is raising a lot of questions.

Questioning the Experiment

USA Today’s MLB Inside, Bob Nightengale weighed in with his thoughts and didn’t hold back.

"The Giants took an unprecedented gamble when they hired Vitello from the University of Tennessee, and it has badly backfired," Nightengale wrote. "It might be too embarrassing to fire Vitello after one year, but it wouldn't surprise a soul to see Vitello return to the college ranks if the right opening comes his way."

Now whether or not any of that comes to fruition remains to be seen, but it does highlight the fact that reality has fallen well short of the expectations that were set by the Giants.

Giants Fallen Well Short of Expectations

San Francisco Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

San Francisco enters the All-Star break with a 40-55 record, fourth in the National League West and an eye-popping 20.5 games behind the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Only the Colorado Rockies have a worse record in the division.

In the Wild Card the Giants are 11 games behind so the conversation about the postseason has left the building short of a miracle.

While fingers can be pointed at injuries and roster shortcomings, some of the blame is going to fall on Vitello. He’s been surrounded by an inexperienced coaching staff and all of it added together has turned into a huge disappointment. The question also has to be raised about how much blame should fall to Buster Posey and the front office decisions.

The Transition From College Baseball Hasn’t Been Easy

Vitello came to San Francisco with a decorated resume from college baseball. He built the Tennessee Volunteers into a national power that competed year after year. He took the team to a national championship and multiple College World Series appearances.

Vitello earned his reputation as one of the best in the business, but the business was college baseball.

That success has not transferred to Major League Baseball.

Being a manager in MLB provides a whole new set of circumstances compared to college. Veteran personalities and a 162-game season are just a few of the things not presented at the collegiate level. Even being such a successful coach came with a huge learning curve.

It may be too much to pair with a team that is also not producing well.

Trade Deadline Could Shape Vitello’s Future

San Francisco Giants third baseman Casey Schmitt (center) is congratulated by teammates Heliot Ramos (17) and Luis Arraez | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So does all of this amount to the Giants being sellers? It could, and should that turn into truth, then what does that mean for Vitello?

If San Francisco sells and is aggressive in the market, it may point to a complete reset. Is Vitello the man you want in charge of a rebuild? Experience will have to be a factor and that’s a really big question.

It would be highly unusual for a team to move on from a first-year manager, and the Giants may not even be thinking about that option. The organization may be committed to the long haul with both the rebuild and the manager.

At the same time, though, tough seasons raise tough questions. Speculation is going to swirl from every direction as results continue to fall short of expectations.

For now, everyone will sit and wait; Vitello’s chair may just be a little warmer than others.

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