New San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello admitted it was difficult to leave his job as Tennessee’s baseball coach, but ultimately called it a good decision to make an unprecedented jump straight to the top of a major league club.
“It was selfish. It was for personal reasons,” Vitello told reporters Thursday, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel. “I’ve always tried to be a good teammate, but I feel like I made a selfish decision that I had to make. It was the right decision.”
Vitello’s hiring marks the first time a major league team has hired a manager directly from a college program with no professional coaching experience. Vitello was publicly linked to the Giants for the first time Saturday, when he was identified as the favorite for the job, but he said no decision had been made at this point and expressed some frustration with how the hiring process played out in the media.
“I had nothing to do with it, and it threw everyone into a tailspin,” Vitello said in a lengthy statement. “Now that we think about it, I think [it] was unfair. I hope people don’t think I’m a diva because that’s kind of how it happened.”
He said he was leaning on “anyone and everyone” to try to choose between his two options. He ultimately chose the Giants, who announced his hiring Wednesday.
Now Vitello, 47, takes over a San Francisco team that has missed the playoffs for four straight years and is coming off an 81-81 season. He’s headed to the majors after leading Tennessee to a 341-131 record, three Men’s College World Series appearances and a national title in 2024.
This Thursday, Vitello would only answer questions about his exit from Tennessee. He is expected to address his role with the Giants during an introductory press conference next Thursday.
As Vitello assessed his future as manager, Tennessee fans made themselves known at a scrimmage Tuesday, chanting for him and hanging a sign asking him to stay. Although he ultimately chose to leave, Vitello expressed his gratitude to the Volunteers’ supporters.
“If this is the last time I step foot on this campus or on this field as an employee or as a Vol wearing our orange, I am so grateful to the people who showed up,” Vitello told reporters. “It will stay with me forever and it made what was technically the last day of work very, very special.”
