Tony Vitello clears up SF Giants bullpen pecking order after surprising move

The SF Giants had a lot of questions about the bullpen coming into the 2026 season, but it has been a surprisingly solid component of the team so far. It’s only been eight games so that can change in a hurry, but manager Tony Vitello offered some clarity on the back-end of the bullpen after he made a somewhat surprising decision to use Ryan Walker in the sixth inning a few nights ago.

That decision sort of came out of nowhere as many assumed Walker would be the team’s closer until something changed, but it speaks to the fluid way that Vitello will use his bullpen at least early on.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Friday night’s game, Vitello cleared up who he sees as his top relievers in the bullpen:

“[Erik] Miller, [Ryan] Walker, two names that stand out, that, every time we meet, we’re like, this is where the fire might be the hottest in the game, those guys we trust in a jam and obviously to finish a game, too.”

SF Giants back end of bullpen clearer after Vitello's remarks

Vitello also said that Keaton Winn is another guy who he and the coaching staff trusts in those big spots as well. That makes sense after Winn has proven he looks like a setup man so far this season. Notably, Vitello said he did not consider Blade Tidwell to be in that group quite yet even though his former ace at the University of Tennessee looked phenomenal in a three-inning save on Thursday. 

It’s an interesting strategy to be sure. It seems that the staff is designating guys who they trust in big spots and that does not necessarily mean the final three outs of the game. Sometimes the most pivotal out of a game can come in the sixth innings or the eighth so the Giants are more focused on going with their best bullpen arms in those spots rather than worrying about a set designation of which inning belongs to a certain guy.

Vitello also made an interesting point about using Walker in the sixth inning on Thursday. He said part of the rationale was that Walker provided almost the complete opposite look for the New York Mets compared to starter Robbie Ray. While Ray is obviously a lefty with a high release point, Walker is a righty with a low three-quarter release so they are polar opposites.

It’s definitely a more modern way to think of how to utilize bullpen arms, but it may be an ideal way to think of this relief corps. This isn’t like last season when the Giants knew it would usually be Randy Rodríguez in the seventh, Tyler Rogers in the eighth, and Camilo Doval in the ninth in a close game if everyone was rested. The roles are not as clear this season so the coaching staff if getting a bit creative to figure out how to get the most out of the team’s relievers.

Legendary Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt warned of this approach in spring training. He feels that relievers need to have a more set understanding of when they are going to be used so they can get ready and be prepared and feel comfortable in their role rather than feeling rushed or that they can’t have a consistent routine. 

Maybe as the season goes on and the coaching staff learns what works best, they will settle into a more set structure. But for now, with a lot of promising bullpen arms but not necessarily reliable ones, a more fluid approach may be the best way to get the most out of the team’s bullpen.