Phillies Star Bryce Harper Speaks Out About Giants Hiring Tony Vitello

These days it's in vogue for everyone to have an opinion about the hiring of Tony Vitello as manager of the San Francisco Giants.

It's one of the game's most polarizing recent moves. Vitello was a highly successful college coach at the University of Tennessee where he led the program to a Men’s College World Series championship. He traded Rocky Top for the Bay Area when he agreed to take over the Giants in a move that may define the success of the era helmed by president of baseball operations Buster Posey.

The polarizing part is that Vitello has never been in professional baseball. Not as a player, not as a coach and certainly not as a manager. It doesn't mean he can't be successful. It just means that many people are skeptical. Don't count Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper among them.

Bryce Harper on Tony Vitello

San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello oversees practice during spring training. — San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello. | Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Harper made an appearance on the podcast Bussin’ with the Boys and the conversation drifted to Vitello, someone Harper has had occasion to socialize with. He said, “Tony V is the man” and went on to praise both the manager and Posey for pulling the trigger.

“I think it’s one of the best hires around,” Harper said. “I think Buster did a great job. I mean, Buster wanted him. I think being able to have Buster as your president/GM, there’s nothing like it. I mean, Posey is one of the best to ever do it as well. I think the big thing for Tony was like, ‘Hey, I want to be able to come in and be myself. I don’t want to have to change, or I don’t want to have to listen to this guy or this guy.’”

Posey certainly hasn’t put limits on Vitello’s personality since he arrived in the Bay Area in early November. Vitello said part of the draw for the job was that he had never lived in a big city before, saying that while he was cutting his teeth in college towns as an assistant coach his friends were in cities like Chicago, Boston and New York City.

Only time will tell if the hiring works. Scrutiny comes with a manager’s job and Vitello’s background will only amplify it. But at the college level, Vitello is well credentialed.

Vitello spent eight seasons at Tennessee, rebuilding the Volunteers into one of the best baseball programs in NCAA Division I. That reached a zenith in 2024 when he guided Tennessee to 60 wins and the Men’s College World Series championship in 2024. He also took the program to the MCWS in 2021 and 2023. He also led the program to two SEC regular-season and tournament championships.

Bryce Harper on Tony Vitello

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