Tony Vitello gives hilarious answer on young SF Giants player's odd celebration

New SF Giants manager Tony Vitello is known for his energy and enthusiasm in the dugout from his time as the head coach of the men's baseball team at the University of Tennessee. That is why it is no surprise to see his disciple Drew Gilbert act the way he did in 2025.

Gilbert became known for getting choked in the dugout as a celebration and Vitello was asked about that by Tim Kawakami on his podcast recently in relation to Vitello's willingness at Tennessee to encourage players to be themselves. This is what he had to say:

"It certainly doesn't mean choke anybody. That was never on the dry erase board during meetings.”

Tony Vitello gives funny response when asked about Drew Gilbert's choking

Vitello went on to talk about how it was important to let players be themselves but also within he reason. He talked about how he had to rein some players in and tell them that it was a baseball game not a bar fight so he knows that sometimes as a manager you have to dial things back as well.

Gilbert's antics gave the Giants a spark in 2025 so maybe a little more of that crazy energy is what is needed.

But beyond letting players be themselves, president of baseball operations Buster Posey seems to be betting that Vitello and his coaching staff can help the team improve internally. That is a pretty big bet given Vitello has never coached at the big league level but some of the staff hirings suggest there may be merit to that belief.

Hiring Ron Washington as an infield coach could help take top prospect Bryce Eldridge's defense to the next level at first base and there is hope that Vitello's staff could help players like Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee improve as well.

Vitello knows how to connect with younger players as a college coach so it would not be a surprise if we see a big step forward from someone like Gilbert or Eldridge in 2026.

Fans may want to see big free agent splashes but it seems that the external additions may be a bit more modest this offseason as the Giants are betting big internal improvements could help get them to the next level.

We will see if that bet pays off as Vitello certainly has hit work cut out for him after another mediocre season in San Francisco. His wit and humor have certainly come through which has already made him popular with fans.