The San Francisco Giants have hired Tony Vitello to be their new manager, and they made some Major League Baseball history in the process.
Vitello finalized a deal on Wednesday to become the manager of the Giants, according to multiple reports. The 47-year-old has spent the last eight seasons as the head coach at the University of Tennessee. Vitello was an assistant with several different programs prior to being hired by the Volunteers in 2018.
Vitello will now become the first person in MLB history to land any manager job with no previous coaching experience in professional baseball.
Breaking: Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello is finalizing a deal to become the next manager of the San Francisco Giants, sources tell @PeteThamel and @JeffPassan.
— ESPN (@espn) October 22, 2025
Vitello won the 2024 College World Series and transformed the program into a powerhouse. He'll be the first… pic.twitter.com/aiEZxr88GO
Vitello went 341-131 in eight seasons with Tennessee. He led the program to a College World Series title in 2024 and three NCAA Super Regional appearances.
Giants president Buster Posey had said he was looking for a “big personality” to improve the atmosphere of the clubhouse, and Vitello was known for his fiery attitude during his tenure at Tennessee.
The Giants are taking a risk, but they believe Vitello can successfully make the jump straight from college to an MLB manager job. Vitello will inherit a team that has not been to the playoffs since 2021.
