Tony Vitello has been hired as the manager of the San Francisco Giants after the most successful run in Tennessee baseball history.
Vitello’s decision to leave the Vols for MLB on Oct. 22 came after a frantic four-day stretch in which he emerged as the leading candidate, rebuffed that the deal was done, and ultimately departed the program he took from afterthought to juggernaut in eight seasons.
It is an unprecedented move for an MLB franchise as Vitello will be the first sitting college baseball coach to jump directly into an MLB manager job without prior professional experience.
“I’m incredibly honored and grateful for this opportunity,” Vitello said in a team release. “I’m excited to lead this group of players and represent the San Francisco Giants. I can’t wait to get started and work to establish a culture that makes Giants faithful proud.”
Frank Anderson was named the Vols interim coach. Anderson boasts more than 40 years in college baseball, including the past eight years on Vitello’s staff. UT athletics director Danny White said he plans to conduct a national search for the next Vols coach, a search that will include hitting coach Josh Elander.
Vitello has been in the picture for the Giants’ job for at least two months, a source told Knox News. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Giants’ pursuit of Vitello was not public.
The source said he met with San Francisco president of baseball operations Buster Posey when the Giants played a series against the Colorado Rockies in early September and Vitello was in Denver to see four former players on the two teams. Vitello had an interview with the Giants on Oct. 1 and remained on the radar throughout the following weeks until his eventual hire.
