How Bruce Bochy, Dusty Baker have helped Tony Vitello maneuver new Giants role originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Tony Vitello is still adjusting to his first MLB gig with the Giants, and he has the perfect mentors to help him maneuver this new avenue in San Francisco.
With former Giants managers and franchise icons Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker in advisory roles with the team now, Vitello has leaned on them and their lessons already have struck him like a Hollywood movie.
“There’s times with this job where you feel you’re almost lost in the forest and you’re going to have to find your way. And then you talk to those guys, and you feel like you’re in a Marvel movie and you’ve got a force field or a Captain America shield that can help you with anything,” Vitello said in an exclusive interview with The San Francisco Standard‘s John Shea. “If it’s about the game, anything those guys say, you can fully take it to the bank.
“It’s very helpful and comforting and builds confidence in the back of your mind.”
The one concern for some on the outside is Vitello’s inexperience at the major league level.
Vitello, who became the first manager in MLB history hired directly from the college ranks with no professional baseball experience, spent more than the last two decades working in college baseball. He had stints as an assistant at Missouri (2003-10), TCU (2011-13) and Arkansas (2014-17) before being hired as Tennessee’s coach in June 2017.
In eight seasons with the Volunteers, Vitello led the program to a 341-131 record with two SEC regular-season and tournament titles. He also led them to their first national championship during the 2024 season.
But perhaps “inexperience” goes out the window when you have Bochy and Baker’s brains to pick.
Bochy managed the Giants for 13 seasons from 2007 to 2019, leading the Giants to three World Series wins.
After retiring as a player, Baker served as the manager of the Giants from 1993 to 2002. Baker was named NL Manager of the Year three times with the Giants and won the 2022 World Series with the Houston Astros.
The Giants parted ways with Bob Melvin after a disappointing 2025 campaign.
Now, all eyes will be on Vitello as the Giants hope he can help bring winning baseball back to the Bay.
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