LORETTO, Tenn. — A Tennessee Volunteers baseball reunion is on tap … in San Francisco.
The Giants hired Vols baseball head coach Tony Vitello as their next manager on Wednesday afternoon.
Giants pitcher Blade Tidwell shared a post on his Instagram page, highlighting the Vols’ ties to the Giants. Four former Vitello players are in the San Francisco organization: 2025 first-round pick Gavin Kilen, 2023 fourth-round pick Maui Ahuna, and 2022 picks Drew Gilbert and Tidwell, who came over from the Mets at this summer’s trade deadline.
Tidwell, now back home in Loretto, Tenn., said, “Vitello is a high-energy coach who is the best I’ve ever seen at getting people on the same page ready to accomplish a mission. I can’t wait to work with him.”
The 47-year-old Vitello, who had been with Tennessee since 2018, is the first college coach to move straight to a Major League managing post with no previous pro coaching experience.
“I’m incredibly honored and grateful for this opportunity,” Vitello said in a statement. “I’m excited to lead this group of players and represent the San Francisco Giants. I can’t wait to get started and work to establish a culture that makes Giants faithful proud.”
Summer in San Fran
When asked about his move to the West Coast from New York this year, Tidwell had positive things to say.
“The Giants have made an easy and great transition for me,” he said. “I’ve loved my time so far.”
The feeling seems to be mutual. MLB Giants Beat writer Maria Guardado discussed Tidwell’s time with San Francisco in a recent newsletter.
“Acquired from the Mets as part of the (pitcher) Tyler Rogers trade, Tidwell recorded a 1.50 ERA with 24 strikeouts over 18 innings in four appearances (three starts) for Triple-A Sacramento. The 24-year-old was on the verge of a big league call-up before landing on the injured list with a shoulder issue, but he managed to return to the mound before the end of the regular season and is expected to be full go this winter.
“ ‘He threw the ball great in Triple-A,’ ” vice president of player development Randy Winn said recently. “ ‘Upper 90s with the fastball, showed the ability to throw two different breaking balls. He had an idea of how to execute with those breaking balls.
” ‘You saw a guy that knew what he was doing. He knew how to shape his breaking ball, bounce it when he needed to, drop it in for a strike when he needed to. He’s working on tightening up some of his four-pitch options, but he’s definitely an exciting arm.’ ”
In an October 9 Instagram post, Tidwell summarized his season. “What a year. Thankful for the Mets for giving me a shot. Excited to be with the Giants.”
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our email newsletter to have all our smart stories delivered to your inbox.
