SF Giants introduction of Tony Vitello should put some fans at ease

On Thursday, Tony Vitello was officially introduced as the the new SF Giants manager at a press conference at Oracle Park and the former Tennessee coach turned on his midwestern charm to the fullest.

SF Giants introduction of Tony Vitello should put some fans at ease

Many fans and members of the media have raised questions since the Vitello hiring was announced about the similarities between him and another analytics-driven manager from the Giants' past, Gabe Kapler. Bob Melvin was an obvious hire to swing the pendulum away from the personality of Kapler, and some believe that with the firing of Melvin, the pendulum is swinging back. However, if you watch both their introductory press conferences, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

If you need a refresher on Kapler’s press conference you can see it here.

Instead of starting with awkward jokes, fumbling words, and discussions about “the incidents in L.A.” from Farhan Zaidi, Buster Posey was measured, passionate, and to use his own word, “concise” about his new hire of Tony Vitello.

Current GM Zack Minasian was given natural opportunities to speak and receive quiet credit for his role in the hiring. Instead of clunky references to parents, previous managers, and the city from Kapler, Vitello was engaging, charismatic, and touched on the same subjects with reverence and excitement. Perhaps most importantly, the flavor of the questions and interactions with the media during Q & A time provided the most stark contrast.

Lastly, red flags from both previous positions (Dodgers and Phillies for Kapler) and personal life, the only red flags from Vitello seemed to be he might be “too much” for some people and the unprecedented leap from college to the majors, both of which were deftly acknowledged by both Posey and Vitello himself.

Vitello also has an advantage that Kapler did not: Buster Posey as his boss. It is still argued that as a player and leader in the clubhouse, Posey had more of an impact on the 2021 season success than Kapler did, and until he proves otherwise, Posey has a pretty long runway in his decision-making. With this hire, Posey is starting to finish up setting his Giants vision into motion, and if the intro pressers are any indication, the Giants could be in for a treat.

Instead of being left with weird confusion about the unknown, like they were with Kapler, the Giants should approach this hire with at least optimistic curiosity, if not full-on Tony Vitello-level excitement over a new unknown.