Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello faces mounting criticism after his recent public remarks about his team's performance.
- Vitello's approach has begun to fracture the unity within the clubhouse just as the season heads toward a critical juncture.
- The front office now weighs whether to make broader changes or let the rookie manager work through his growing pains.
The San Francisco Giants lost five straight games heading into Sunday's contest against the Colorado Rockies. While Rafael Devers has turned his season around to some degree, the same cannot be said of manager Tony Vitello, whose antics have put him between a rock and a hard place. Vitello's hiring was a controversial one to begin with, as he had no big-league experience but thrived at the collegiate level with the Tennessee Volunteers. Buster Posey surely couldn't have seen this season's struggles coming.
Vitello hasn't maintained his composure well this season, and it's starting to impact the Giants clubhouse as this season fades into obscurity. Posey himself has stayed relatively quiet on Vitello's future, and if Giants fans had their way he'd likely be a one-and-done manager. Vitello's players, to their credit, have stayed together...until now. Over the weekend, the first-time MLB manager questioned his players' effort and pride, a tactic that may have worked for him in Knoxville but will surely backfire in a larger market like San Francisco.
Tony Vitello betrayed the trust of Giants players
The Giants took a 6-3 lead in Friday's game against the Rockies, but eventually blew that advantage in an 8-6 defeat. They fell behind quickly on Saturday in Colorado as well.
There's only so much a manager can do to shoulder blame when his players aren't performing up to par. However, blaming them to the media isn't going to sit well in the clubhouse.
"We need to take a little more pride, I think, in how we...It's ideal to not have last night occur, but bounce back," Vitello told the media. "I got the vibe like we were in a position to do that. The first six outs we had at the plate would say that, but getting in a hole makes it a little tougher after that."
Vitello isn't necessarily wrong in his commentary of the Giants' play of late, and even what he perceives as a lack of effort. However, he'd be wise to keep that criticism internal and call clubhouse leaders into his office to better apply that feedback.
Are bigger changes coming for the San Francisco Giants?
Speaking of fair criticism, this is one the players could surely push back onto their first-time manager: Vitello is in over his head. The Giants have already reassigned third-base coach Hector Borg in a wake-up call of sorts. If that doesn't work — and the five straight losses suggest it hasn't — then perhaps larger changes are looming.
Posey could opt to sell at the trade deadline. While Devers and Willy Adames are likely here to stay thanks to their large contracts, Robbie Ray is an attractive trade asset for contending teams and is on the final year of his deal. FanSided's Chris Landers ranked Ray ninth on his trade deadline big board just last week.
"Ray...is an open and shut case: He's in the final year of his five-year contract, and while he's no longer the power pitcher he was in his prime, he's still got gas left in the tank as a No. 4 starter who could even pivot to a valuable bullpen role in the postseason," Landers wrote.
Posey and the Giants should not rush to panic and fire Vitello in season. Doing so defeats the entire purpose of hiring him. Vitello is learning on the job. Perhaps he'll find his footing in the dog days of summer. Criticizing his own players, who thus far have had his back, isn't a step in the right direction.
More MLB news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google