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Giants rumors: Will Tony Vitello bail for college return after just 1 season?
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- Giants rumors: Will Tony Vitello bail for college return after just 1 season?
Giants rumors: Will Tony Vitello bail for college return after just 1 season? appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The San Francisco Giants made a bold move ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, by hiring Tony Vitello as manager of the team. Vitello had been working previously in college, at Tennessee. San Francisco has struggled this year, and rumors persist that Vitello won't remain manager for the 2027 season.
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USA Today columnist Bob Nightengale addressed those rumors on Sunday.
"While there has been speculation that San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello is so frustrated in his new job and could return to the college ranks after the season, he insists that he's still happy he took the job, paying him $3.5 million a year, a record salary for first-year managers," Nightengale wrote.
The Giants are 26-39 on the season. San Francisco is currently fourth in the National League West, ahead of only the lowly Colorado Rockies .
It wasn't supposed to be like this under Vitello . Vitello had won a national championship in college, managing the Tennessee baseball team in 2024. He established himself as one of the top college baseball managers in America.
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That success caused the Giants front office, and Buster Posey , to take a chance on the manager this season. San Francisco had a lot of expectations ahead of the campaign that Vitello could immediately get the club to the postseason.
Short of a miracle, that won't happen. San Francisco is 16 games out of first in the division. The Los Angeles Dodgers currently lead the NL West.
Giants fans have booed Tony Vitello and the team this season
Brad Mills-Imagn Images
Vitello has been honest about the team's struggles . He has heard boos from fans during losses. The San Francisco manager says he understands the frustration .
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"Maybe your walls are painted orange (and) black and this is the team your whole family for generations has supported, you got a lot invested. So you want something in return. At the very least a good effort, maybe execution here and there… it got to the point where it wasn't an acceptable effort," Vitello said in May, per KNBR Radio.
The Giants play the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. San Francisco has lost six of their last 10 games.
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