Tony Vitello hiring just guaranteed a roster spot for young SF Giants spark plug

Well, it seems to be official. The SF Giants are reportedly set to hire University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello as their next manager which should be very good news for young Giants outfielder Drew Gilbert.

This hire does not come without risk, but it seems president of baseball operations Buster Posey really wanted to shake things up and that is exactly what he has done.

There will be plenty of time to sift through all of the fallout from this decision once it truly becomes official, but it seems very likely that Drew Gilbert will have a place on the Giants next season with Vitello as the manager.

Young SF Giants spark plug Drew Gilbert will benefit from Tony Vitello hire

This likely would have been the case regardless of who the next manager was, but the connection the two had from their time at the University of Tennessee definitely bodes well for the 24-year-old.

Gilbert was a standout player for the Volunteers and was a huge part of the team's legendary run in 2022. Gilbert slashed .362/.455/.673 that season with 11 home runs and 70 runs batted in. Tennessee did not win the College World Series that season, but they still had a remarkable run.

Vitello has had nothing but high praise for Gilbert and went so far as to say that the energetic young player changed his life during his time at Tennessee.

Gilbert's great final season with the Vols helped him get selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. Since then he has been traded twice, once from the Astros to the New York Mets in a deal that brought Justin Verlander back to Houston and then again in July of 2025 before the trade deadline when the Mets sent him to the Giants in the Tyler Rogers trade.

Even though his stats would suggest otherwise, Gilbert had a big impact on the Giants. When he was called up his infusion of energy seemed to spark the team and they made a late-season push for the playoffs that ultimately came up short.

Gilbert's stats on the year were not all that inspiring as he slashed just .190/.248/.350 with three home runs and 13 runs batted in. He got hot for a brief stretch but was not able to sustain it. However, he did look solid in the outfield which could play a big part in helping him snag a role on the 2026 team.

We will see if the Giants make any changes to their outfield this offseason, but as of right now Jung Hoo Lee should be the center fielder and Heliot Ramos should be the left fielder on Opening Day. Right field was a revolving door after the Giants traded Mike Yastrzemski so one would expect the team to add a veteran outfielder to start in right.

That likely leaves one bench spot open for a fourth outfielder and that competition in spring training could come down to Gilbert and Luis Matos. Matos is out of minor league options so the Giants may be inclined to go with him, but if Vitello has his way he will surely want Gilbert on that Opening Day roster given their history together.

Maybe Vitello will bring the best out of Gilbert and he can become the starter in right field next season. That remains to be seen, but the bigger question may be an over-under on how many games it will take until Gilbert and Vitello choke each other in the dugout.