Giants hire former college coach Vitello as manager

The San Francisco Giants hired former Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello as their next manager, the team announced Wednesday.

Vitello is the 40th manager in club history and becomes the first person to jump from being a college baseball coach to an MLB skipper without any big-league experience.

"We're thrilled to welcome Tony to the Giants family," Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a statement. "Tony is one of the brightest, most innovative, and most respected coaches in college baseball today."

Vitello was earning $3.3 million annually at Tennessee and will take a pay cut to manage the Giants, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

"I'm incredibly honored and grateful for this opportunity," Vitello said. "I'm excited to lead this group of players and represent the San Francisco Giants."

The 47-year-old Vitello started his managerial reign with the Volunteers in June 2017, leading the program to a College World Series championship in 2024.

Vitello posted a 341-131 record as a head coach at Tennessee, including five NCAA regional appearances, four super regional appearances, and three trips to the College World Series.

"Congratulations to Tony on this incredible opportunity to lead the San Francisco Giants. We wish him the best as he embarks on this new chapter in his career and thank him for everything he has done to transform Tennessee baseball into a championship program," Tennessee athletic director Danny White said in a statement, via Baseball America's Jacob Rudner.

San Francisco needed a new manager after relieving Bob Melvin of his duties in September.

The Giants finished third in the NL West with an 81-81 record last season. They've made the playoffs twice since 2015 after winning the World Series three times from 2010-14.