The Giants' Tony Vitello gamble is already blowing up in spectacular fashion

Before he was hired by the San Francisco Giants in the fall away from the University of Tennessee, Tony Vitello had neither playing or coaching experience at the professional level. That’s become apparent in his first three games as an MLB manager, which have resulted in zero wins and exactly one (1) run scored. But this is about more than just a few off days; between some very odd vibes in the clubhouse and some evident panic setting in, that inexperience is already taking center stage. 

It was a gamble for the Giants to hire Vitello straight out of the college ranks. Sure, his resume at Tennessee was essentially bulletproof. But if the NFL and the NBA has taught us anything, it’s that going from a college coach to a professional one isn’t an easy transition. That’s the risk San Francisco took when they made the historic hire, and it's hard to avoid the feeling that it's blown up in their face already.

Tony Vitello is missing one important thing about life in the Majors

The one thing you’re afforded in baseball is patience; two games into a 162-game season is not the time to panic. But Vitello’s lineup change suggests that he's still operating under a different mindset. Coaching in a 60-ish game season in college baseball, with big talent disparities, is vastly different than a league full of the best in the world. He’ll have to change his mindset if he wants to succeed with the Giants, because rejiggering your lineup after two games smacks of a man without either answers or confidence.

He already understands accountability, taking blame for the first two losses. But he did so in the weirdest way possible: He chalked it up to a pregame speech that might not have resonated with the clubhouse, an idea that was promptly shot down by the players in the clubhouse. Relating to professionals isn’t the same as relating to 19-to-21-year-olds. They’re motivated by different things, and the typical speeches you’d make at a big-time SEC program don't hit quite the same when everyone has a mortgage and a family.

These are things Vitello’s going to learn, but in order for him to improve, he needs time. The Giants hired him to save them from mediocre baseball. But the more desperate he gets, the worse things can get. There’s more than enough time to see what is and isn’t going to work. Drastic moves early show he’s not quite ready for the big leagues. 

Will Vitello be able to corral this clubhouse?

He may eventually get the Giants clubhouse to buy into his new culture, but that’s going to take time. It starts with more appropriate communication, both internally and externally, but it also starts with trusting the process. If Vitello goes about making erratic decisions, thinking that’s the solution, it’s going to affect the trust the team has in him. Subtle lineup changes are necessary. In college, you could get away with major changes with less time and the pressure of constantly winning. 

With MLB, you have to give guys a chance to get into a rhythm. That’s why there are 162 games. If you’re making lineup changes two games into the season, it’s setting your team up for more struggles than just trying to score runs.

How important is Tony Vitello’s success for more college coaches to get a shot at MLB?

This season could tell a lot about the future of MLB's relationship to college baseball. It won’t change anything in terms of the draft, but it could drastically alter how college coaches are treated in regards to managerial positions. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred already said Vitello’s hire is good for the evolution of the relationship between the two levels. But if the Vitello hire backfires, he could be the last college coach with no MLB experience to get a shot at making this leap. 

Things aren’t off to a good start, but time is on his side. The good thing about making history is Vitello proved it can be done. The downside is he’s almost entirely in control over whether he’s an anomaly or the beginning of a new trend.

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