‘I think they have interest’ – Vols insider shares latest on Tony Vitello and how likely it is that he’ll leave Tennessee for MLB
Tennessee Vols fans are anxiously awaiting word on whether UT baseball coach Tony Vitello will leave Rocky Top for a manager’s job in MLB. Vitello was connected to the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves manager jobs this week. It’s unclear if Vitello is seriously interested in leaving for MLB. It’s worth noting, though, that […]
Tennessee Vols fans are anxiously awaiting word on whether UT baseball coach Tony Vitello will leave Rocky Top for a manager’s job in MLB.
Vitello was connected to the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves manager jobs this week.
It’s unclear if Vitello is seriously interested in leaving for MLB. It’s worth noting, though, that Vitello has never played or coached at the MLB level.
Vols insider shares the latest on Tony Vitello and how likely it is that he’ll leave Tennessee for MLB
VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs joined 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will on Friday, and he was asked about Vitello and the reported interest from the Giants.
“The reality is, in 30 years of doing this (covering Tennessee), you never say never,” said Hubbs. “Would it be a way out of the box move for a baseball ops/GM to make his first major league managerial hire and go get a college coach? Yeah, that would not be the norm based on the history of Major League Baseball. Is Tony Vitello well-respected in Major League Baseball? Yes. Does he have relationships in Major League Baseball? Yes.
“He knows (President of Baseball Operations) Buster Posey from the San Francisco Giants. They talk somewhat on the regular, from what I understand. They were together and visited with each other recently when the Rockies and the Giants played a series, and Tony was out visiting and seeing some of his former players. [Did] they had conversations in the last week or so? Yeah, I think they probably have. Does that mean Tony Vitello is leaving? No, I don’t think it does. But the first time you say there’s nothing to that and you walk away, then you look like a fool if something happens. I don’t think Tony minds his name being out there. Do I think he’s going to stay in the college game ultimately? If you’re making me guess this morning, my guess on that would be, yes, I think he stays at Tennessee.”
“Do I think the Giants have some legitimate interest? I think they have interest or curiosities,” continued Hubbs. “I’m not saying he’s at the top of their board, but I do think there’s enough of a relationship there with their management team and their leadership that, you know, they have some interest and intrigue there. But it’s premature to say it’s going to become anything. It’s dumb on my part to say there’s no chance it ever becomes anything. So we’ll see.”
It sounds like Vitello isn’t in a hurry to quiet the noise around his name — and that’s not a bad thing if he stays at Tennessee (it’s basically free recruiting material). As a result, Vols fans will probably have to wait until the Giants hire a manager not named Vitello before they can completely relax this fall.
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