Tony Vitello is catching heat for a Giants decision that other MLB managers are applauded for making
Former Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello is getting a baptism by fire in his first few games in the big leagues. The San Francisco Giants were swept in three games by the New York Yankees to open the Vitello era. San Francisco scored just one run in the series. Vitello faced some difficult questions […]
Former Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello is getting a baptism by fire in his first few games in the big leagues.
The San Francisco Giants were swept in three games by the New York Yankees to open the Vitello era. San Francisco scored just one run in the series.
Vitello faced some difficult questions after the final game of the series, including getting pressed on why he didn’t use a pinch hitter for Jung Hoo Lee late in the game in a tough lefty on lefty situation.
The former Tennessee head coach told reporters, “He’s our guy,” while explaining the decision.
Vitello is hearing plenty of criticism for that response, but I’m not sure why. Sure, the analytics may have suggested that pinch hitting was the better move, but the best managers in the game don’t manage using a spreadsheet. There’s a human element to the game that’s far more important than what a spreadsheet says.
A few months ago, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was praised for starting Miguel Rojas in Game Seven of the World Series despite not having a hit since the Wild Card round.
Rojas ended up getting one of the biggest hits of the series. The Dodgers probably don’t repeat as champs without Roberts playing Rojas. And it wasn’t a move that was made because of analytics, it was made because of the human element.
But here’s the thing about baseball: those moves don’t always work out. There are no guarantees in baseball. The “right” move on paper doesn’t always work out. You can do everything right in this sport and still get a bad result.
The process behind Vitello’s decision is what should be analyzed, not the result. That’s a move that could pay off down the road when Hoo Lee faces a big moment and he knows how much confidence his manager has in him.