Giants Talk: Why Tony Vitello's Tennessee rant caught the attention of fans
"Giants Talk" co-hosts Cole Kuiper and Alex Pavlovic react to San Francisco manager Tony Vitello's viral Tennessee rant and more from spring training.
Giants Talk: Why Tony Vitello's Tennessee rant caught the attention of fans originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
What's up, Giants fans?
Welcome to another episode of Giants Talk.
I'm Cole Kuiper, here with Giants insider, Alex Pavlovic.
Alex has more updates from Arizona, as he is on the ground in spring training, including our take on, Tony V making headlines before his first game.
Plus, Alex sat down with Will Bednar, firmer- former Giants first-round pick.
we've already talked about how he could be a guy making an impact this year.
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All right, Alex, all kinds of fun stuff going on- Yeah ... in the world with Giants right now, but I feel like the biggest one we're hearing about is, the new manager, Tony Vitello.
getting a bit of a, a viral moment.
I don't know, his first chippy moment with the local media.
Yeah, I, at first I, I'll say, too-- I'll give my thoughts.
I first wanna set this up.
Like, I, I saw a lot of the tweets.
There was a lot of This did goes- this did go beyond our bubble.
Um- Can we, well, can we-- as we set it up, for those who aren't super online, do a quick recap of, like, what happened, I guess?
Well, that's what I'm gonna set up.
Yeah.
Basically, he sat down and asked Susan Slusser, like, "When did you guys think I was gonna take the job?"
And then it was, I don't know, two and a half, three minutes of, just Which we've seen from Tony before, of him being- Yeah ... upset about the way the reporting went down.
people can go The video's everywhere.
You can go find it.
It's easy to find if you wanna watch the whole thing.
he's done this before at Tennessee.
He's, like, one of those I think everyone's watched, like, the six-minute video of him, when he was talking about how to define success or something like that.
Um- Mm-hmm.
I'll- what I'll set up is, like, one, this is where I defend my brethren a little bit.
You got it.
We have not been asking about Tennessee.
We, as a beat, we sit with him every day for 20, 25, 30 minutes most days.
We have not been asking about Tennessee, so this was not for people who are like, "Well, stop asking about it."
We have not.
yeah, so that's, that's the first thing I will say, and then the second thing I will say is that I, I take exception to And he's-- I, I fully understand his side of it.
it made for a really awkward three, four days in, in, Knoxville.
It made for a really awkward first practice, where reports come out and he's on the field, and he goes, "Some of my coaches are like, 'What's going on?'"
Mm-hmm.
I 100% understand that.
I also just think this is our job, and this is never gonna change.
And I'm curious where this goes because, like, if, if I find out that someone's hurt and the Giants don't want to admit it, I'm gonna report it.
And, like, it's, you know, that might be a couple days before the Giants want to admit it, but that's just, like, our job.
And I, I know it's easy to pick on the media these days, and it's popular to pick on the media these days, and a lot of times I 100% get it, but this, this is, like, Baggs and Ken Rosenthal and, and Britt, like, The Athletic, I They had the story correct.
They, the Giants were zeroing in on Tony, and- Yeah ... it made his life difficult.
I understand that, but they had it correct, and he's here as manager of the Giants, and it's just impossible, like, for, you know He just was never gonna get an opportunity to tell his team first.
Mm-hmm.
Like, it's impossible for that to happen.
And one other thing that stood out is, like, he's talked a fair amount about Wayne Kiffin.
They share an agent, and the drama with that, like, this is- Wayne's players had to deal with this as well for months, and they, they do constantly.
Like, I think this is just the way it is, and so there were, there was no pushing back against that, and there's gonna be no ability to control future situations like this, and, injuries and things that go on with him.
Like, whether he likes it or not, it's our job as reporters to report.
Like, we don't work for the team.
We don't wait until the press release comes out if that's what people want.
Like, there's no point in having us.
So, which some people probably want.
They're like, "Get out of there.
We don't care."
But if you want everything to come directly from the team, then you're just never gonna find out anything truthful about, about the team, and- Yeah ...
I think, you know, the reporters who And I'll just say this for Baggs in particular, like, he's done a lot of good reporting the last few years on what's been going on internally and, and did a lot of good reporting this off-season.
And, he was the first one here to, to put Tony's name out there as like, "Hey, they- they're kind of eyeing this guy who came out to Coors Field."
And, and everyone's like: "Really?
This?"
So he's on top of it.
So that is my defense of, of the media.
I fully understand why Tony was frustrated, but it's just kind of our job.
So- Yeah ... whether people like that or not.
It's a sticky situation 'cause almost every other coaching or managerial hire is going to come from the major leagues and happen in the off-season when this wouldn't, this overlap- Yeah, yeah ... wouldn't be problematic.
But the fact that he was in a very, very different situation than any other candidate coming directly from college and the You know, he was sitting there in the dugout side by side with his players.
Right.
Makes sense why that frustration happens.
Yeah.
But yeah, welcome to the big leagues, man.
Pretty much.
And, and I'll also say, you know, Nick Hundley went through the same thing in October.
Mm-hmm.
And Nick has a job with the Rangers right now.
Nick has two kids who are probably reading some of this or, or his family members are reading some of this and like, "Are we leaving San Diego?"
Mm-hmm.
"We, we moving?
you're gonna be on the road all the time?"
So Nick was in the exact same thing.
We did a full podcast leading with Nick, and he was- Yeah ... the frontrunner for that job as well.
So yeah, it's just kind of part of it.
that was my main reaction to it.
And then the other two things I'll say here, just in terms of the content of it, I- we sat down with Tony last night.
We have a show coming up soon on NBC Sports Bay Area.... Really cool show.
Me and Vontae Hill sat down with him and, and, dug into a lot of his background and, a lot of the way he thinks.
And I, I think people will really enjoy it.
We'll air some of that here as well.
he's- I asked him about Tennessee.
He's very self-aware.
He knows he's talking about Tennessee a lot.
Yeah.
So, that part of it, he's very self-aware about it and jokes about it.
it is the only frame of reference he has, is college baseball.
And not just Tennessee, but going beyond that.
He talks about Missouri a lot.
He talks about Arkansas a lot.
So he's very self-aware about that.
I also do understand where Giants fans are kind of like, "Okay, you're the Giants manager now," so they- Yeah, at the very least, does he wanna talk about Salinas?
At least that has a geo- ... geographical, frame of reference for us.
Go deeper?
Yeah.
Yes.
Which he has.
I think he'll get there.
I do also think there's probably a, and probably a lesson learned for him that, you know, you're manager of the Giants now, and as great as things were in Tennessee, and as much as they might like s- seeing you over here in Scottsdale talking about it, like, really all I care about is who is your closer?
Yeah.
How do you feel about Hayden Birdsong?
you know, what's going on with Joel Pigaro's hamstring?
Like, things like that.
So I, I think there's, there's been a lot of that early on, and he understands it.
like I said, self-aware about it.
But, yeah, that's gonna be interesting during the season, 'cause the, the Tennessee questions that do come are coming from national people- Yeah ... who kind of parachute here and want to know the whole- want to do the whole Tony Vitello trailblazer thing.
Which- Mm-hmm ... is their job as well.
But, it'll be interesting at the start of the year how much is, like, focused on that and how much is focused on you have Aaron Judge waiting for you in the batter's box this weekend.
Do you think there's gonna be a bit of a, I don't know, maybe learning curve's not the right word, but, getting used to how in college baseball, the manager is essentially the main character, you know- Yeah ... facing the team, all that.
Where in baseball, in Major League Baseball, really, you don't want to be making headlines as the manager.
It's Logan Webb, it's Willie Adams- Yeah ... it's Rafael Devers, who are the face of the franchise, and I almost feel like Gabe fell into that pitfall occasionally- Yeah, it was- ... where he- It was about Gabe.
Exactly.
whereas Bob Melvin, even Bochy- Yeah ... just kind of lurking in the background.
We'll see.
It's a great point.
you know, the the last thing I'll say about it is just, like, it doesn't really matter what we think, and it doesn't matter what people on Twitter think.
It matters what his players think.
Yeah.
So the most important thing is what was the clubhouse reaction to that?
there hasn't been anything weird, like, there hasn't been anything No one's come out and been like, "What the hell?"
So, Tony said nobody talked to him that day, whether his bosses or whether his players.
So, the most important thing is, does he have that clubhouse?
And so far, so good in that department.
Yeah.
I think if you do this after, like, the second game of the season, guys will probably be like: "This is a little weird."
But, yeah, so it's the most important thing is the clubhouse.
But it is a great point about, this is gonna be You know, he sat down early one day and said, "This is pretty similar, like, group size to what I've dealt with," and- Mm-hmm ...
I, I would just push back in that, like, this isn't a Boston market or a Philly market.
We're also not college students, and we're also not guys who graduated from Tennessee and still have a million Tennessee jerseys in our closet and are doing a local radio show in Knoxville.
Yeah.
Like, this So there's gonna be reaction.
Like, when something like this happens, and you see the way, like, KNBR reacts or a lot of Giants fans reacted- Mm-hmm ... like, it's gonna be different than it was in Knoxville.
And, you know, early lesson learned, no harm, no foul.
Yeah.
But, it'll be interesting because I think the one thing I've heard from him, and I've talked to some people who know him this week, who just reached out to me and, and were like, "This is gonna happen every once in a while.
Like, this is just kind of his thing."
So, and he did it at Tennessee as well, and it'll be interesting to see how that goes, like, during a Major League Baseball season.
Like- Well, I'm all for having- ...
If there's something he wants to get off his chest in May, like, it'll be interesting to see how that goes.
Yeah.
I'm all for having a good quote and a, big personality as a manager, but, but yeah, it's, it's, it's fun to get this started early.
I know you gotta defend your group.
I'm just thinking about any time I've left or changed a job- Yeah ... how much that would change if people re- were reporting on the process way through.
Right.
Yeah.
No, I fully understand just the way it blew up his life.
Yeah.
And, just to your point, like, this is just gonna happen.
Like, whether he likes it or not, it's just gonna be He is a major national story, and at the time, he was a major national story.
Mm-hmm.
And that is honestly why, like, those, you know, those things are coming with Ken Rosenthal's byline on it.
Yeah.
Like, this is a, a major story.
so yeah, I, I guess that's just, it- it's just gonna be part of it, and I'm, I'm just really curious, like, if somebody gets hurt or if somebody, you know Is this gonna- 'cause remember with Gabe, all of a sudden, he's like: "I'm not gonna give you the lineup until an hour before."
I don't see why, why anybody- Yeah ... Dave Roberts, like, what the F Okay.
We'll do.
So, like, is, is, is there gonna be some of that, that everything is so internal, that- Yeah, yeah ... or, like, somebody's, you know, something happens to a starting pitcher, and we find out the morning of?
Mm-hmm.
that was what we experienced with Gabe, and, and it didn't go over well with other teams.
And I, you know, it- I think a lot of fans over time were like, "Okay, don't really what's the point of this?"
So- Yeah, it doesn't really benefit us in any way as fans.
Yeah, I mean, there's just, there's a part of this, and it's what we do.
And, I get yelled at about the lineup every day.
I don't put it together, but part of my job is- ...
I know there are people who get the lineup from beat writers as opposed to- Yeah ... to, other areas.
So yeah, it's just part of our job.
I, I hope, I hope it is understood.
Yeah.
All right, well, we will, keep our eyes open throughout the rest of spring training and the rest of the season for more of Tony Vitello growing into his Major League manager role.
still yet to have a game played, but games are right around the corner.
Yeah.
As we, as we march towards those, Alex- what's, what's everything at camp like?
You anyone catching your eye?
Well, the funny thing, too, is, like, part of the reason this became such a big deal is this has been a drama-free camp here so far.
Yeah.
Like, this is really the most interesting thing that's happened in a week and a half.
other than that, they had a cool scrimmage yesterday.
I've posted a lot of video of that on Instagram, on YouTube, on, on Twitter.
I understand it's raining back home quite a bit, so maybe a little, little sunny BP will help people.
I'll, I'll point out, we've talked about Devers here.
He just continues to look, like, unbelievable.
He is- All right.
He, he took Logan Webb deep yesterday.
Logan threw him a sinker, which he would never do in a, a real game.
But, yeah, he, he has just looked awesome and just I think we talked about this last podcast.
I lose track now of how many different places we we write and post things, but just, just a reminder that he's gonna be hitting second or third for these guys all year, and- Yes ... like, should legitimately probably The way he looks, I'm like, "That's 40-plus homers."
Mm-hmm.
it's just different with him, and just has continued to look that way, and he spoke at the first full squad meeting.
he's getting rave reviews from guys behind the scenes.
I- it's Speaking of things we will watch media-wise this season, it's gonna be really funny to see the reaction from Boston if this is the, the, version of Rafael Devers.
The, the I-am-helping-young-guys, I'm-loving-playing-first-base- Mm-hmm ...
I'm-I'm crushing-at-the-plate.
he did it all- Smiling in the dugout.
Yeah.
Jerseys are sailing.
Did it with Monte the other day, did it all in English.
Mm-hmm.
there's probably people falling over in Boston, that- ... they see some of these clips, so that will be funny.
And then the two young guys I want to point out, Carson Seymour, who pitched a live BP the other day, he struck out Luis Arias, which is difficult to do.
Mm-hmm.
Now, it's live BP, guys are working on things.
but still, like, struck out Willie after that.
really impressive.
And they We've talked about this a lot.
They need a couple guys to just, just, you know, take the leap in the bullpen, and all of a sudden, it's like, "Carson Seymour's the dude," out of nowhere.
So he's really interesting to me, somebody I'm watching all spring.
You watch him throw, you see the stuff.
He gave up a fair amount of homers last year.
There's no reason why I think Carson shouldn't succeed in the bullpen, and he would be, like, up near the top of my list of guys that Frank Anderson and, and Justin Message and Christian Wonders, like, should "Can you get that guy to be a solid piece in the seventh inning?"
That would be huge.
and then Trevor McDonald has looked awesome as well, and he- we saw what he did at the end of last year.
I think they probably want to keep him a little bit stretched out, given that he's, like, maybe sixth or seventh or eighth, depending on how you view Birdsong and Wisenhunt on their starting pitching depth chart.
But he kind of strikes me as someone who could do the Landon Roop thing, where a couple years ago, Landon is really good out of the bullpen, and then he gets a shot in the rotation and, and really sticks there.
So he might be a guy that has a big spring and they, you know, does the Roop, does the Birdsong 2025 thing, where it's like- Mm-hmm ... "He's a young pitcher, don't have a spot for him in the rotation, but he is one of our 13 best pitchers."
Great.
That is music to my ears, Alex.
It's been I mean, it's, it's honestly been, like, drama-free.
Like, the only inju- injury we have is Peguero, who has a little, little hamstring thing going on.
they don't feel that concerned about it.
We're five weeks away from opening day, so- Mm-hmm ... it's been pretty drama-free.
I think it's been pretty positive.
Well, we're gonna have, the Giants are going to have their first scrimmage games before we record again.
Anything you're looking for in those games?
I think it's Giants-Mariners and Giants-Cubs.
Yeah, first, first two Cactus League games, Birdsong should start on Saturday.
that's an easy one, like, is he around the plate?
Mm-hmm.
yeah, it, it's for me, I, I know I'm beating a dead horse here.
I'm just like, and I joked about this with Tony as well, like, I just want to know how you're gonna get through the last three innings.
Yeah.
I just think that's such an important thing here, and there's so, so many different ways they could go.
it's photo day today, which is why I have a collared shirt on for, like ... one of the only, usually wearing a T-shirt or a hoodie, or you and I are our team casual.
That's right.
That's right.
Oh, you have a collared shirt on, too.
Good for you.
Yeah, does a flannel count, though?
Yeah, not really.
Yeah.
I have a suit back there somewhere, but anyway, it's, it's, Someone was asking me over there, kept bringing relievers to me, and was like: "Should this guy go through the NBC set?"
Like, the little dramatic hold up the ball- Yeah ... do the glove.
The slow no.
Yeah, look hard.
With lights.
and basically every guy that was brought to me, I was like, "Yeah, he might be in the bullpen.
Yeah, he might be in the bullpen."
"Yeah, he might be in the bullpen."
So it's a real open question here, and that- Yeah ... that is what I'm watching, 'cause those guys will get You know, two, three of those guys will get into Saturday's game.
Two, three of those guys will get into Sunday's game.
Mm-hmm.
And, you know, their stat cast's fully available here now because of ABS, so w- we're gonna have a real good idea of what kind of stuff these guys have early on.
Yeah.
All right, before we move on to mailbag questions and your sit-down with Will Bednar, I just want to look around the league for some more league-wide signings of our, our familiar faces, our old friends here on Giants Talk, a little remembering some guys, if you will.
Yes.
Up first, Dom Smith finally landed a deal.
He signed a minor league deal with the Braves.
It's crazy.
We, we were saying in, what, October, September, that this is a guy who should be getting real playing time on a team, and that's the only reason he's not a fit for the Giants.
and I expected him to get not a minor league deal.
Related, something that stood out during the scrimmage, which was interesting, 'cause they had fielders out there, and they tried to do home road and, and let Logan sit and then come out for a second inning.... Bryce Eldridge was not with the starters as the DH.
Casey Schmitt was the DH, not that Casey would be the opening day.
Well, he might against Max Freed.
But, it was interesting that Bryce was not automatically in that group.
Yeah.
and Dom Smith reminded me of that.
I'm happy for Dom.
He was- I thought he was awesome on the field last year, really good behind the scenes, tremendous fashion, really like- Good to know ... there were some Instagram fot- I think he has an Instagram account dedicated to his clothes.
He's, yeah, one of those guys.
really interesting stuff.
So, I'm happy for him.
I- this I- it sucks for guys like this and like Wilmer Flores, and the game has gotten to a point where like that, that, one year, $4 million, $5 million, whatever, come be on our bench, doesn't really exist anymore.
Mm-hmm.
Now it's like, this is part of, you know, like Brandon Belt dealt with this way in his career.
It's like, "All right, cool, just go home.
I could come win a job in camp," but- Exactly.
I, I think Dom, he has shown enough that I think he will be on a Big League roster and probably in Atlanta, but it, it's, it's a bummer that like, it's gotten to a point where every front office is working from the same template now, that it's like, "Okay, we'll give you the NRI.
Come and, come and try to win that job."
Yeah.
Dom Smith is what?
30, I think.
So, yeah.
I- how about this one?
35, Mike Tauchman going back to New York.
It's This is Mets, right?
Yeah.
Mets, not Yankees, but going back to the city at least.
He's had a wild road since his Giants time.
Um- Yeah ... going over to the KBO, rough year in Chicago, a year before that with the Cubs, or White Sox and then the Cubs.
This is, one of our sticking points on Giants Talk, that he should be recognized every time he comes to Oracle Park, and the Mets come- Every time!
Every time ...
So I will be paying close attention to see if anybody cares.
Because you and I are just like, we're like, "This is the lost, the forgotten guy from 2021 who single-handedly, like, saved them two games."
Exactly.
Maybe three.
And especially that game at Dodger Stadium could have been such a swing moment in the season, and, yeah.
I think if the- So if you are there when the Mets come in, like, stand up.
Yes, please do.
I think if the Giants lose that game at Dodger Stadium, they might not win 100 games that year.
That would be such a swing, momentum-wise.
Um- Yeah.
If We've d- we've done the, like, imagine if they won the World Series that year, how would things be different?
We've joked about what that would mean for Chris Bryant with the, with the Giants.
Oh, yeah.
But you would have to have a Tauchman statue in the stadium somewhere or some sort of recognition if, if that season went on to be something more memorable than it did.
Because what he did that year in those two moments, plus the grand slam, incredible.
I almost feel like there should be a mural somewhere, like underneath, you know, like where the Ski Ball is.
Yes.
There should just, there should just be him going over a wall, and fans can, like, go take a picture and jump against the wall.
Exactly.
Giants marketing, there you go.
See if you can jump as high as he did.
Yes.
Maybe we're the only ones who care, but Very much maybe.
one more, Connor Joe, signed by the Mariners.
Mm-hmm.
Another guy I'm a huge fan of.
Good player.
I was trying to think if there was any way he could fit onto this team.
I don't think he does with, what?
Outfield and first being his primary spots these days.
but good for Connor Joe.
Very nice guy, has been through a lot off the field, so root for him.
A ton.
Yep, and then Joe Panik, is now a minor league roving infield instructor with your San Francisco Giants.
Alex, what does that mean?
He will be roving to affiliates.
it's, it's a part- So just like, there's what?
Four, five different affiliates?
He's just like- He'll be Yeah, I mean, they're in- Hopping around ...
They're in Arizona, they're in the DR. yeah, so the, there's a, a bunch of places.
I think his plan is to spend a lot of time in San Jose or wherever.
Mm-hmm.
He's planning to spend a lot of time with Joshua, Johnny Levell, Gavin, Luis Hernandez.
We'll see how fast he moves along here.
But Joe's been with them a few years now, and he has been visiting, but his, his family's a little bit older now, and it, it's more of an official title for him.
This is, you know, Ryan Vogelsong has done this on the pitching side the last few years.
So basically gets him on a pretty set schedule to visit affiliates and work with infielders.
Mm-hmm.
And I've seen him here.
He's very excited about it.
it's cool, it's cool to see him here.
He's, he's out at second base taking feeds the other day, and I'm like, "Still got it.
Looks like he got it."
Yeah, he looks All right.
So, it's gonna be a big year for, for that group because there's Brandon Belt day and, yeah, those guys are gonna be around, so.
Former Gold Glover, Joe Panik.
Um- Yes.
You know he's gonna put in some time with the minor league guys.
Do you think he has time to work with the, the new second baseman, who all we hear about is his defense?
I think Ron Washington has that- That's fair ... comment.
That's fair.
He's behind Luis constantly.
yeah.
That's what we have around the league.
By the way!
Yeah?
Luis Arias, I tweeted about him the other day, just, you know, it's a scrimmage.
He made a play at second, nothing special.
Just like, I was like, "Here you go.
Here's some video, just trying to help out."
Padres fans, not happy.
There, there's a weird, there's a weird dislike not that they dislike the person.
There's a weird, like, "Good luck with that," in San Francisco, so- Okay ... it's gonna Something to watch, and it's gonna be funny if he goes, like, nine for 12 against them in that first series.
They're- they seem to be like They seem to think they really got away with one here, and their playoff odds are gonna be better because Luis Arias is a Giant.
So something to watch.
Was he a bad Padre?...
No, a good teammate.
Everyone here loves him.
I think he's probably- Yeah, I'm- It's like- I'm trying to think of any world where a guy would go onto another team, and I would be, like, expecting or wishing him poorly, you know?
Unless He, he would have to be, #badgiant, which there are very few.
Yeah, this is just I think this is purely, like, a good luck- Awesome ... with the defense situation.
Okay.
May be fair, but also, it's, it's funny, 'cause it's a first road trip, San Diego.
So, little revenge series there for the least potentially.
He's gonna have the best defensive year of his career.
Bold predictions coming soon.
I'll sit on that one for a little while.
You ready?
You ready for it?
Okay.
Yeah.
all right.
I'm gonna just This is just a reminder, like, they're not asking him to play shortstop- ... so.
Or catcher.
Like, come on.
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All right, Alex, let's get through a few mailbag questions before we move on to your chat with Will Bednar.
Sure.
The first question we have today is from Luke.
Luke says, "Agree or disagree?
On paper, this offense is the best Giants offense since 2016."
well, we've already talked about one year in particular on today's episode that I think is a pretty stand-out difference.
Now, what the question here for me is, is this mean on paper 2026 or on paper previous years as well?
Because they've had good offensive years that on paper shouldn't have been as good as they were.
Yeah.
'21 is the best offensive year in the last couple of decades.
Yes.
It is an interesting, It's an interesting one because I kind of want to punt on this because we have an interview with Logan Webb coming, and Bontate Hill asking that, that question.
Mm-hmm.
So he was like I think he, I think his answer was actually, "Let's show respect to '21."
There we go.
on paper, you know, this is, accomplishments-wise, when you put this group together, it's up there- Yeah ... in the last couple of decades.
It honestly even up there with those title teams, 'cause a lot of those guys were younger, and they didn't necessarily have, like, the accomplishments then.
So you, you get to '21, and a lot of those guys then had the resume, but we thought they were washed, and it turns out they weren't.
So yeah, it's, it's I'd have to think about that a little more.
This is up there in the last, in my time covering the team, of like when you look around the diamond and just go, "Okay, Devers, Adames, Chapman, Arias, Ramos, Bader, Lee, Bailey."
Like, there's some guys there who are coming off bad years.
There's some guys there who you don't expect 20 homers out of, obviously, but there is a lot of potential with that group.
Yeah.
And it's gonna have to carry them as well.
I just- I, I think the potential is kind of the defining thing I want to frame this question around.
because going into 2021 versus going into this year, it seems like this year is the better offense.
Now, obviously, lightning in a bottle struck.
Yeah.
People went insane.
but, you know, there's a possibility of people going insane this year, too.
Well, '21 is so special, not just 'cause of the veterans, but, like, you look at, like, Darren Ruff.
Mm-hmm.
So yeah, it's, This should be a better offense on paper than that group, but they also, like, set a franchise record for homers somehow and hit- ... 17 eighth-inning pitchers homers.
So, might not actually get there numbers-wise, but it should be.
Yeah.
I- it's With how anemic the offense has been for several years, I'm very excited going into- Yeah ... 2026.
Cameron says: "I saw pictures from the Giants account and noticed Randy Rodriguez in full uniform.
I know he is nowhere near ready to pitch or anything like that, but my question is, are players required to wear full uniform even if they are injured or do- doing rehab?"
No, I think that might just be a personal preference thing for him.
I mean, there's all sorts of You see guys out here in, in hoodies.
You- Mm-hmm.
Devers wears a hoodie underneath his shirt, and, Harrison Bader's, all his shirts have been cut at the bottom.
not a look I could get away with, but you run- You're not an injured guy?
You run.
let's see.
Yeah, there's all sorts of different, different things.
I think that's just maybe his personal preference, so.
All right.
Cool, cool.
might as well, right?
Get ready.
By the way, he's, throwing progression starts soon for him.
It's gonna be a- it's You know, this is not a '26 thing, but he's doing well in his rehab.
All right, road to recovery, and he's doing it in uniform.
Nick says: "Yo, I found a great remembering some guys for the podcast.
Lucius Fox is playing infield for Great Britain for the WBC.
He was the first hotshot prospect that I ever really followed, and I was bummed when he got traded, but he's still playing organized ball, apparently."
great shout, Nick!
Yeah.
Lucius Fox sighting.
He will be on Team Great Britain with, Sir Tristan Beck- ... and brother.
And, that was the one.
I went through all those rosters and was gonna do a whole segment here, and that was the one where I just like, "Whoa!"
So- Yeah ... glad we got him on here.
Yeah.
Well, I, I'm excited as the, We've probably covered most of them, but as the WBC starts popping off, seeing if there's any other familiar faces that kind of slip through the cracks, even if it's not Giants guys, just guys you're like, "Whoa, hey!"
I'm excited to be watching at home and see, like, Logan Webb versus Lucius Fox, and- Yeah.
Exactly.
Oh, yeah.
Okay.... Yeah.
Who saw this coming?
All right, one more that I think makes a lot of sense, and it's something we kind of do every year- -while you're in spring training.
Sarah says, "I'm coming to Scottsdale for just one weekend.
What would be your food stops?"
Good question.
I've been to Fat Ox a couple times.
It's outstanding.
I would highly recommend Fat Ox.
It's pretty- it's, like, a little bit 10 minutes up the road from Scottsdale Stadium.
Okay.
And then I think Farm and Craft is my new, like, early in the day place, breakfast, lunch.
So those are the two that stand out to me currently.
I will keep working on it the next day.
we went to Oregano's last night, 'cause we, we, we do our year-end show with the manager and usually take him to dinner.
Shout out to everybody who watched Bob Melvin 8,000 times last year, 'cause I, I think every rain delay early in the year, but- It, it, that re-aired so much.
Yeah, I get those texts from a lot of people, and I'm like, "No, I'm well aware."
I'd, like, walk- ... past the bar, and there's Bob sitting there.
yeah, so we went to Oregano's, which is also That's like an old I'm sure you've been there a million times.
Yes.
That's an old school, old school place.
but it was a reminder to me of how good that place is, so.
Yeah.
And they were awesome to us and could not recommend them more.
Is there a place- So if you want to go, have a nice big piece.
Is there a place that's kind of replaced Don and Charlie's as the, the go-to San Francisco Giants hangout?
'Cause I, I went there constantly as a kid, as a young adult, and it seemed like anytime I'd walk into Don and Charlie's, you'd see Rob Nenn at the bar.
Yeah.
You'd see Will Clark there.
And, you know, I'm not encouraging our listeners to- Go bug them ... try to bug people, but it was really cool just how Giants-centric that was.
Yeah, I don't know if there is one of those.
I mean, that was kind of a special thing.
Like, that's the kind of restaurant that doesn't exist anymore.
Yeah.
So unfortunately.
Yeah.
Unfortunately.
That was our go-to.
I don't go to spring training often enough and, to have any great recommendations, and when I do go, we usually just eat at, like, family's house every night.
but I'm trying to think where we went last year.
We My, my dad loves Culver's, 'cause that's a Midwest thing, and they have it in Arizona for some reason, so we always make a stop at Culver's.
there was a Mexican pizza place we went to last year that was fabulous.
I will try to think of the name before the next episode of the podcast.
and then there's so many steakhouses out there.
Yeah, there's a lot of steakhouses here.
So some in the Bay Area is It's, it's like Starbucks in the Bay Area is steakhouses in Scottsdale.
Yeah, it's like literally Scottsdale Road is littered with them now.
So, and they all seem to be doing very well.
They do.
There's always crowd.
Steak is out here now.
A lot has changed.
It has.
do you know what shocked me last time I was out there?
Was the amount of, like, Waymos and Teslas and Cybertrucks.
It seemed like the EV scene was really popping off- Yeah ... in Scottsdale.
So it was day one, Tony told us that.
He was like, "I'm getting used to the Waymos.
I am not used to this."
They were- Yes!
... Knoxville, not a Waymo place.
No, not at all.
I was like, "Well, wait till we get to San Francisco."
Yeah, exactly.
There's much more traffic-related Waymo stuff here than- By the way, new Jersey sponsor, Airwallex.
That's right.
Yeah.
Reminder, shout out to the Cruise video, the greatest video to ever be posted.
How long was it before that went sideways?
Was it, like, six months?
It's- Four months?
I think their license got suspended, like, about two months later.
Oh, my gosh, that was brutal!
But Airwallex is on.
I just The, the photos, people I, I laugh every single time I see the, the screen grabs from that, that, promo shoot, 'cause it- they really went all in on that and- For the Cruise one?
Yeah.
What was it, like, with every- "Every sunrise, there's an opportunity" or something?
Yeah, and Gabe looked like he was doing a hostage video.
I give- he, he really, he really went all in.
He gave them everything he had.
He did.
And, yeah.
It always surprises me when these, jersey logos are companies I've never heard of.
You know, like I'd never heard of Airwallex.
At first I was like, "Airwalks?
Like the skate shoes I wore in sixth grade?"
Yeah.
I Yeah, it's, I guess that's why they do it, right?
Yeah.
Now we've heard of them, so.
I had someone reach out and say, "Mailbag question: Are there any orange or Giants-based companies that would have made more sense for the jersey?"
and they pitched a Dunkin' Donuts and something else.
And Duncan's pretty Boston-coded.
Yeah.
But not more like Orange Theory Fitness.
There's some orange stuff out there.
Duncan would be hilarious, just like: "Hey, Red Sox fans," "have you just thought about the Devers trade?"
The pictures of Devers- Yeah ... with Duncan on his sleeve in a Giants jersey.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Anyway, new sponsor.
New sponsor.
all right.
Let's toss to your interview with Will Bednar.
Alex, anything we need to know?
What are we expecting from Bednar this year?
what's your history?
How long, how long have you known him at this point?
I've known Will for a while, 'cause he was a first-round pick, and, um- Yeah ...
I've seen him at affiliates, and it would just be a really cool story.
I know people love to, you know, jump on guys and be like, "First-round pick didn't work out as..." Y- yeah, it did not work out the way they thought.
He has a second life here as a really hard-throwing reliever, and the Giants legitimately feel like second, second half of last season, they were seeing he was about as good as they had in the minors relief-wise.
Mm-hmm.
And we talk about it all the time.
I talked about it earlier this episode.
You just never know when that guy shows up and goes, "Hey, I throw ninety-nine now, and, my command's a little bit better, and I'm ready, and here we go."
And Will's been through a lot, and it would be a cool story.
So I hope people enjoy the interview.
It is definitely- he's, like, near the top of the list of guys I'm watching this spring, 'cause- be an awesome story, and I'm, I would not be shocked, like, opening day may be pushing it, 'cause there's a lot of guys he has to beat out, but, I think we'll see him this year, and would not be shocked if he's just that, "We're waiting.
Who's, who's the one or two guys who has a great spring?"
Yeah.
and we go from there.
So- You know, I have my fingers crossed for a Will Bednar, David Bednar opening day face-off with the Yankees.
Um- Yes.
We'll see.
That might not seem likely.
Yeah.
It'd be cool for a lot of reasons for him if he made the team, but including his brother's coming in, so With that, here's Alex with Will Bednar.
All right, here with Will Bednar.
I was talking to Kyle Haynes, and he said one of the most exciting, you know, you're coming to camp guys he got to tell was you.
What, what was your recollection of finding out that you're coming to camp?
Kyle came up into, the cafeteria at a camp I was at a few weeks ago, and, and he came in, and, and he kind of pulled me aside and, and told me.
And, you know, I was, I was so excited that, you know, to get the chance, and, I just I couldn't You know, I- no, I don't wanna say I couldn't believe it, but I was just so fired up to, to get the chance.
And, man, I, I was just ready to rock and roll.
First few days here, anything stick out?
Any interaction with, with a big leaguer or manager or, or coach that has stuck out to you, and you're like, "I gotta text my brother or gotta tell my parents," or I mean, nothing too crazy, 'cause a lot of the guys have been around Papago a lot, so, you know, it's a lot of familiar faces.
But, you know, it's been really cool to work with the, the, the new staff and get to know those guys.
And, probably one of my favorite has been getting to work with Justin Message.
He's been- 'cause he, he worked with, with Dave in- ... in, Pittsburgh in the bullpen.
So that's a, that's a cool, cool connection there.
for you coming into camp, it- there's some open spots here, and, and Tony and Buster have both said there's a lot of opportunity.
How do you view the next six, seven weeks and, and what you want to accomplish?
You know, obviously, that's something I think about, but, you know, I can't let that be the main thought of, of just trying to do that.
I think the, the biggest thing is just coming in here and, and, you know, putting in the work every day and, and just doing everything I can to, to, to be the best that I can.
And, you know, whatever works out is gonna work out.
it's I, I kind of try to follow the, the cliches of, of, like, not trying to control what I can't or just control what I can control.
and it's like, it's k- kind of corny, but, like, that's You can't worry about things that are out of your control.
For Giants fans who maybe I mean, I've seen you at affiliates a couple times, but for Giants fans who, who maybe lost track a little bit the last few years, how would you kind of sum up your trip through the minor leagues and, and mostly I think some of the injuries that you had to deal with and, and overcome?
I'd say to sum it up, I'd say it's been rocky.
no, it's just obviously it hasn't gone quite the way I wanted it to, to go.
you know, being hurt for, for two Obviously, you get a rough start, and then being hurt for two years after that, obviously was not my plan.
but I think, you know, coming out of that, I, I'm better because of it, and, and I have a better way of handling adversity, and I know how to kind of manage myself a little bit better.
I just think it's, it's been, it's been rocky, but, you know, I've been able to kind of turn it around and, and use it to my advantage in, in kind of moving through pro ball.
Yeah, does it make it any easier, your brother David is one of the best right-handed relievers in baseball?
Does it make it any easier when the Giants do tell you, "Hey, we think a switch to the bullpen i- is gonna accelerate things a little bit"?
Did that play into it at all?
I mean, at first, it was kind of just like, I slowly kind of got phased in the bullpen two years ago, and then this, like, this past year, or I guess last year, it was, I was just full-time in the bullpen, and it was definitely an adjustment, but I've really enjoyed switching there.
I think it's For me personally, I feel like it's just, like, less time to think and more time to just kind of like You know, it's, it- the, the bullpen is, is a good place to be, and it's, like I said, less time to think and more time to just, like, kind of get ready and go into the game.
but I've, I've enjoyed it a lot.
And, and obviously having Dave has been very nice to, to kind of pick his brain and, and, and get help from him on, on how he does it.
One thing I, I was hearing from scouts last year is, like, "Have you, you know, seen Bednar's velocity jump recently?"
And then last year, it's pretty noticeable.
For you, what has been the progression there from being a starter to a reliever, where I, I think last year you were pretty regularly 99 miles per hour?
I mean, it kind of just I think it's, it's a little bit of everything.
I think, you know, obviously coming in into more leverage situations, and kind of being juiced up coming out of the pen, and then also just trying to throw the ball a little harder.
I think, I think that all kind of helps.
For you, when you look at it, do you Have you hit 100 yet?
Is, is, is that a goal of yours?
Is, is I, I know sometimes you look at, like, the detailed numbers, and it's like 99.7 or something.
How do you view that?
It's funny you say that number, 'cause that's, that, that is the exact hardest- The exact- ... that's the exact hardest I've thrown.
And, you know, some people like to claim it's 100.
I do not.
100 is when it's two zeros, 100.0.
That, that's, that's 100.
Obviously, obviously, the, the, the main plan is to punch tickets and get outs, but I would, I would like to throw, I would like to throw 100.
So we're waiting for the true 100?
Yes, of course.
secondary pitches and, and the way you're trying to get guys out right now, and you said trying to punch tickets.
As a starter, you have to have the whole kitchen sink.
Right.
As a reliever, what are you trying to do?
I'm kind of fastball, slider, splitter right now.
the splitter has been pretty up and down, but I think it's This, this, during the, like, it's The past couple weeks, it's shown a lot of promise, and I think that'll be a good It, it's getting more consistent, so that'll be definitely helpful, especially against lefties.
And then the slider's kind of- It's definitely a little bit more vertical than it was when I had first gotten drafted, and that's just kind of been trying to throw it a little harder and, and locate it better.
Last year it wasn't, wasn't as good as I, as I want it to be, so th- this year it's definitely more consistent.
My last thing for you, Tony has brought you up a couple times.
Just as being on the other side at Tennessee, obviously you're a very, very good college pitcher.
What's your background with him?
Does it go back to recruiting or, or how far have you known Tony?
So I, I, I was never recruited by him, but we did play against them in the SEC tournament, and, they, they ten-runned us.
It was, me, our Friday guy, and Landon Sims, who was, in my opinion, the best closer in the country in, in '21.
and, and they waxed us.
So that was my, that was my What I remember of Tony, and, and I kinda hated him for it, but, but no, now I, you know, getting to meet him and, and kinda learn more about him, it's, it's cool.
Like, he, he's the type of guy who's gonna, you know, have his players' backs no matter what, and, he's very passionate, so it's, it's exciting.
What were Tony Vitello Tennessee teams like from the other dugout?
We, we've seen the social media clips, and you love it if you're on his side.
On the other side, was it a little annoying?
they were, they were rowdy.
They, they're definitely rowdy.
I don't, I don't remember it personally, 'cause I only threw against them the one time, and, I was wasn't super locked in on, on the dugout, 'cause I was getting, getting my, I was getting, I was getting lit up.
but yeah, they're, they're definitely, they're definitely rowdy.
the- y- you know, a lot of people say the college game has come a long way, and you, you pitched at a big-time program.
How close do you think it is now, where the transition for them is not gonna be maybe what, what it would've been 10 years ago?
I think, I think the, the jump is, is definitely a little bit smaller, but I think there's, you know, definitely an adjustment coming from college to pro ball.
the, the talent is obviously better, and, and just the It's just, just a little bit d- I mean, especially going, I mean, going from playing in front of, you know, 10,000 people to playing in front of five at, you know, a backfield game, it's, it's definitely That's, that's an- another adjustment.
but yeah, obviously the, the game is getting better at that level, and, it's, it's getting closer.
All right.
Well, it's been a long time coming.
It is very cool to see you here, and, and somebody I Like I told you, sc- scouts started to text me last year, like, "What's going on here with Will?"
So, I was curious going into the Rule 5 draft what would happen there.
You're still here, and, and a good opportunity for you this spring.
Yeah.
I mean, I'm, I'm so fired up.
You know, I'm, I'm gonna just try to soak in as much as I can and, and, and just take in everything, of being here and, and really just try to make the most of it.
