New san francisco giants Manager Tony Vitello admitted that it was difficult to leave his job as Tennessee baseball coach, but ultimately he called it the right decision to make the unprecedented jump directly to the top of a major league clubhouse.
“It was selfish. It was personal reasons,” Vitello told reporters Thursday. According to the Knoxville News Sentinel“I’ve always tried to be a good partner, 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 straight from a college program without any experience as a professional coach. Vitello was first publicly linked to the Giants on Saturday, when he was identified as the favorite for the job, but he said no decision had been made at that time and expressed some frustration about the hiring process in the media.
“I had nothing to do with it and it got everyone in trouble,” Vitello said as part of a lengthy statement. “Now that we look back on it, I think [it] It was inappropriate. Hopefully, people won’t think I’m a diva because that’s what it seemed like.”
He said he was relying on “anyone and everyone” when he was trying to decide between his two options. He ultimately chose the Giants, who announced his hiring on Wednesday.
Now Vitello, 47, takes the helm of a San Francisco team that has missed the playoffs four consecutive years and is coming off an 81-81 season. He’s headed to the majors after leading Tennessee to a 341-131 record, three appearances in the Men’s College World Series and a national title in 2024.
This Thursday, Vitello will only answer questions about his exit from Tennessee. He is set to address his role with the Giants in an introductory news conference next Thursday.
As Vitello was considering his future managing, Tennessee fans revealed themselves during a melee on Tuesday, chanting for him and hanging a sign telling him to stay. Although he ultimately decided to leave, Vitello expressed his gratitude to the volunteer supporters.
“If this is the last time I step foot on this campus or this field as an employee or as one of our orange-wearing Vols, I’m very grateful to those guys,” Vitello told reporters. “It will always be seared into my memory, and it made my last day on the job technically very, very special.”
