Tony Vitello explains why he's ‘honored' to take over as Giants manager in 2026
Giants manager Tony Vitello joins "Warriors Postgame Live" and shares how he's preparing for the transition from Tennessee to San Francisco.
Tony Vitello explains why he's 'honored' to take over as Giants manager in 2026 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Video Transcript
... Warriors Postgame Live after the Warriors move to 5-1 on this eight-game homestand.
But if we can, How about just a little bit of Giants talk?
Because we have a special guest.
Yeah.
The new Giants skipper in studio with us.
It's Tony Vitello.
You know, of course, he's the first coach Make the leap from the college ranks straight to skipper.
This is after he helped build Tennessee into a national powerhouse with a 2024 title.
Legendary story already, before you even coached your first game at the pro ranks.
How do you endear yourself to a new set of players who might wonder what you're about?
You know, I, I think, just to be able to spend time with them, and I wasn't the only one here.
There were five players up in the suite, and we were all hanging out.
That was post-Fan Fest that we did in San Jose today.
Huge turnout!
I heard we doubled the amount of people.
That came out last year for the Fan Fest.
So it's, It's just like any successful locker room you guys have been a part of.
Relationships are key.
Relationships take time.
So, working on that.
First thing, we had to build a staff.
Of course, free agent and trade stuff is always going on.
But, uh, Spring Training's not far away, and again, It'll be important to build those relationships, Tony.
Take us and the fans Uh, hiring process, your interview with Buster Posey.
When did he first approach you?
And I asked you off-air the similarities With analytics and preparation from college to the MLB.
Talk about that transition as well.
Yeah, I think the gap is, is closing in all sports, from, if you want to call it, amateur Which really doesn't exist anymore.
Yeah, true.
Mm-hmm.
Um, but from college to pro, and um, Coach Lanning from Oregon did a really good job of talking about this.
I think the closer we get to a marriage between NBA and college basketball, NFL and college football, the more successful both will be.
'Cause again, That gap is closing, for sure.
But as far as going back to the hiring Process, uh, the first thing you gotta do is get over the fact that it's Buster Posey you're talking to.
It's kind of like sitting here, to be honest.
With you.
But as the talks got real, it became a matter of...
Uh, it's a challenge in front of you.
Because I was in such a great place at the University of Tennessee.
I was able to see Grant Williams play tonight for the Hornets.
You know Coach Barnes is a stud.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Uh, there were many, many other reasons why Tennessee's a great place.
But, um, the challenge is there.
And, uh, call me the guinea pig if you want, I guess because it is a little bit of outside-the-box thinking.
But Buster Posey and the other people at the Giants are, Find a way to be great.
It doesn't matter how or what it costs.
Whatever the circumstances might be, I'm honored to be a part of that.
Coach, you did an incredible job at the University of Tennessee.
You're a Tennessee guy, Vanderbilt guy.
We both know about rivalries.
Um, the Giants fans want to know, what do you plan on doing with the Dodgers?
Well, I think the first thing that we plan on doing is making sure our spring training is a successful one.
Last year, There were a lot of compliments for last year's team.
Um, you know, Coach Melvin and the other guys had them prepared for season.
Well from Spring Training, and the season got off to a good start.
So, we need to make sure we match that at the very least.
But I think there are so many new faces, as a part of our coaching staff.
And then a lot of players, like Bryce Eldridge, were here at the game today.
He's a rookie, a player from last year that so many people are excited about.
We've kinda got our own problems to sort out before tackling others'.
Problems.
But there are some people in Major League Baseball, they seem to have an spending problem.
Uh, they've got a lot of money.
Um, but, you know, at the end of the day, when the game starts, They've got bats, gloves, and balls.
Same for us.
Uh, we'll look forward to hooking up with whoever it might be in the spring.
So, Tony, it's so nice catching up with you, but before we go, As you assess your team, what do you think about the pitching depth?
Season?
It's grown.
It's been exciting.
You know, I was asked earlier today at Fan Fest About two starters, and I... You know, it's my first go-around.
But I'm not too excited about labeling somebody something unless they're You know, our third baseman, which in our case, we have that.
I'm excited about the depth and the variety of arms.
We have guys who could be a starter or a reliever, and there's a lot of competition.
And, uh, when you have internal competition, you guys know, It just makes everybody better and makes them work harder.
And, uh, I'm probably over my time talking, but my number one takeaway I texted about four of my buddies.
Steph Curry in pre-game, He looked like a walk-on who was trying to make the team.
And, uh, just impressive.
It makes sense why he's been as successful as he has.
I was...
I enjoyed watching that.
Attention to detail.
Yeah, no question.
There you go.
Coach, welcome to the Bay.
If you need places to eatyes, and you're on Instagram, You gotta go to Festus Feasts on Instagram.
We'll give you all the, All the best local places to eat while you're here in town.
Okay?
I'm down with that.
I might hit everybody else up, though.
I don't know if a Vandy guy's trying to food- Oh!
Oh, no.
There you go.
Before something gets dropped in there, you Guys, or whatever.
There you go.
Plug it into the comm.
Niners fan already?
Yeah, you know what?
Uh, uh.
I've always been... You know, I was a big Mike Shanahan fan.
And then Kyle and Payton, there's a connection there.
But, um, I, I think, you know, obviously, they fell short tonight.
But what he did with that team in particular, and just what he's done, I'm a huge fan of his, as it relates to his coaching career.
And the guy that coaches the Warriors, I cheered like, my dad's from Chicago.
Okay.
So that guy, if I ever get to meet him, He might be a little annoyed at how excited I am to shake hands with him.
