The San Francisco Giants have certainly broken the mold in hiring Tony Vitello as manager. At least one Giants player is thrilled with the decision.
Of course, Drew Gilbert knows Vitello well. Gilbert played for Vitello at Tennessee for three seasons, wrapping up his career in Knoxville in 2022 by slashing .362/.455/.673 with 11 home runs, 70 RBI, and 21 doubles while earning all-SEC honors. That led the Houston Astros to select Gilbert in the first round of the 2022 MLB draft.
The Astros dealt him to the New York Mets to get Justin Verlander back in 2023. The Mets dealt him to the Giants in the July in a deal for pitcher Tyler Rogers.
Now, the likely starting right fielder for 2026 will get to play for his old college manager again.
Drew Gilbert on Tony Vitello
Recently, Gilbert talked on the “Giants Talk” podcast about his past coach and future manager. He’s new to the franchise and building his own relationships with teammates. But he can’t wait for Vitello to start building his relationships with his new team.
“At the end of the day, they’ll find out,” he said. “You’ll find out pretty quickly what he’s about.” “I’m confident in that and I’m excited for it. He’s not afraid and he’s going to come in and he’s not going to be all up in your face like that, but you’re going to understand what he’s about and how hard he wants to compete and how bad he wants to win. That’ll rub off on everyone real quick and I’m excited for that.”
Gilbert made an impression on the Giants in just 39 games, though his bat did struggle. He slashed .190/.248/.350 with a .598 OPS, along with three home runs and 13 RBI. But his antics in the dugout endeared him to both his teammate and Giants fans. With Mike Yastrzemski traded at the deadline, Gilbert has the inside track to the right field job for opening day.
Vitello takes over the Giants after spending eight seasons at Tennessee, where he spent eight seasons 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.
