The Athletic mentions Tennessee Vols head coach Tony Vitello as a potential option for newly vacant Atlanta Braves manager job
Earlier this week, Tennessee Vols head coach Tony Vitello was mentioned as a potential candidate for the recently opened San Francisco Giants manager job. The Giants are in need of a new manager after moving on from Bob Melvin. Vitello, who played college baseball at Missouri, has never coached at the MLB or minor league […]
Earlier this week, Tennessee Vols head coach Tony Vitello was mentioned as a potential candidate for the recently opened San Francisco Giants manager job.
The Giants are in need of a new manager after moving on from Bob Melvin.
Vitello, who played college baseball at Missouri, has never coached at the MLB or minor league level.
Tony Vitello’s name connected to Atlanta Braves job
The Giants aren’t the only MLB team that could show interest in Vitello.
On Wednesday, the Atlanta Braves announced that longtime manager Brian Snitker is retiring.
Shortly after the news broke, The Athletic’s David O’Brien mentioned Vitello’s name as a potential option to replace Snitker.
“If the Braves think outside the box, they might possibly consider University of Tennessee coach Tony Vitello,” wrote O’Brien.
It’s not common for college coaches — especially ones with no MLB experience — to make the jump straight to a manager’s job in the big leagues.
Former Notre Dame and Arizona State head coach Pat Murphy is currently the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, but he spent almost a decade as a bench coach before moving into the manager role. Murphy also played four seasons in the minor leagues.
So while it seems unlikely that an MLB team will hire Vitello, it’s not something that can be completely ruled out. All it takes is one team to make a serious offer.
The Giants’ job could be more attractive to Vitello due to the fact that two of his former players — outfielder Drew Gilbert and RHP Blade Tidwell — currently play for the organization. The Braves, however, are closer to Knoxville. And despite being in enemy territory in Georgia, there are quite a few Vols fans who also root for the Braves (the Braves, though, are most closely associated with the Georgia Bulldogs).
Both the Giants and the Braves missed the playoffs in 2025. The Braves underperformed while the Giants nearly made a run at the final NL Wild Card spot.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Former Alabama QB Greg McElroy gives the Tennessee Vols some in-season bulletin board material
The Tennessee Vols received some in-season bulletin board material this week via former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy. McElroy, an ESPN college football analyst who also co-hosts McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, doesn’t think Tennessee can play in the SEC Championship game this season. On Tuesday’s McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, McElroy […]
