New Giants manager Tony Vitello’s path to pro ball was unlike anyone else’s.
When he was tapped to replace Bob Melvin in October, Vitello became the first college coach to jump directly to managing in the big leagues without any coaching experience at the professional level.
It’ll be an unprecedented challenge for the 47-year-old Vitello, but the Giants are making sure to surround him with a pair of seasoned voices who should help ease his transition to the Major League dugout.
Two former MLB managers -- Jayce Tingler and Ron Washington -- will be part of Vitello’s 13-member coaching staff, which the Giants announced on Friday.
Tingler, Vitello’s close friend and former college teammate at the University of Missouri, will serve as bench coach, the same role he held for the Twins over the last four seasons. Tingler, 45, briefly managed the Padres before that, posting a 116-106 record from 2020-21.
Washington, 73, was named the Giants’ Major League infield coach and brings 35 years of professional coaching experience, including 10 as a manager for the Angels (2024-25) and Rangers ('07-14). Washington developed a reputation as an infield guru while serving as the first- and third-base coach for the A’s from 1996-2006, and he should be a key resource for players like Luis Arraez, Rafael Devers and Bryce Eldridge, all of whom still have room to improve defensively.
“I think the first place you start is he’s extremely talented,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said when asked about Washington at the Winter Meetings in December. “You don’t stay in the game as long as he’s stayed in the game if you’re not talented. And then where my head goes is how much knowledge he’s accrued just from being there and watching and coaching and listening and learning.
“Not to speak for Tony, but I know when they met, the energy was still there and the passion for the game was there. He’s a baseball guy. I’m excited to be around Ron and ask him questions and listen to some stories. But again, the most important piece is that he's a great teacher.”
Other additions include hitting coach Hunter Mense, first-base/outfield coach Shane Robinson, third-base coach Hector Borg and a completely new pitching infrastructure led by director of Major League pitching Frank Anderson.
Anderson, the father of former MLB starter Brett Anderson, followed Vitello from the University of Tennessee and will help oversee a department that also features pitching coach Justin Meccage, assistant pitching coach Christian Wonders and bullpen coach Jesse Chavez, who is fresh off an 18-year career as a Major League reliever.
“He's never been in a big league dugout, but he's been in a big league household with Brett,” Vitello said of the 66-year-old Anderson in December. “Those two are close. They've got a fun and a funny relationship. I know his involvement in Brett's career. I think not just coaching him, but the life experience kind of provides him with some background that will be beneficial for him.”
The Giants’ coaching staff underwent significant turnover following Melvin’s dismissal on Sept. 29, with bench coach Ryan Christenson, third-base coach Matt Williams, pitching coach J.P. Martinez, bullpen coach Garvin Alston, first-base coach Mark Hallberg and hitting coach Pat Burrell among the staffers who were not retained.
San Francisco's new-look staff features only four holdovers from the Melvin era: assistant hitting coach Oscar Bernard, field coordinator and catching coach Alex Burg, quality control coach Taira Uematsu and bullpen catcher Eliezer Zambrano.