Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello reportedly makes decision on San Francisco Giants job
News broke over the weekend that Tennessee’s Tony Vitello was the San Francisco Giants’ top target for their vacant manager’s job
News broke over the weekend that the San Francisco Giants had zeroed in on Tennessee Vols head coach Tony Vitello for their vacant managerial position.
Vitello, who never coached or played in MLB, has an existing relationship with Giants President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey.
According to a report from ESPN, Vitello has decided to leave Tennessee to become the Giants’ new manager.
It’s an unprecedented move for an MLB franchise to hire a college coach with no pro playing or coaching experience straight to a managerial role.
Vitello, however, feels like the perfect coach to make the move. Time will tell if leaving Rocky Top for Northern California was the right call.
What’s next for the Tennessee Vols? This couldn’t have been an easy decision for Tony Vitello
The feeling is that Tennessee will promote Associate head coach/recruiting coordinator Josh Elander to the head coach role.
Elander, a Texas native who played college baseball at TCU and spent four seasons as a minor leaguer, has been on staff for the duration of Vitello’s tenure at Tennessee, dating back to after the 2017 season. He was also with Vitello at Arkansas during the 2017 season.
It’s certainly possible that Vols athletic director Danny White could opt for a full-blown coaching search, but the timing of Vitello’s decision could make that tricky. Not many college baseball coaches are eager to change jobs this time of year, though Tennessee is a special circumstance.
We’ll see what happens in the coming days or weeks. One thing is certain — there’s never a dull moment when it comes to Tennessee athletics.
Tennessee Volunteers News
MLB executive has harsh message for Tennessee’s Tony Vitello amid interest from the San Francisco Giants
Tennessee Vols fans are still waiting to hear whether Tony Vitello is going to leave Rocky Top to become the San Francisco Giants’ new manager.
