SAN FRANCISCO — Drew Gilbert was well aware of what was circulating about the Giants’ managerial search earlier this month, but he tried not to bug Tony Vitello too often. The two are very close, but Gilbert, conscious of how much was on Vitello’s plate every day at Tennessee, always has reminded himself to reach out only when it feels necessary.
Gilbert, however, has had his own phone blow up over the past week. Teammates have peppered him with calls and texts about their new manager, who will be introduced Thursday at Oracle Park, and Gilbert knows there are some obvious questions. He also thinks Vitello will have all of the answers.
The biggest concern for most has been the fact that Vitello has no experience with professional baseball. After two decades coaching and recruiting in college, how will his energy and approach work with big leaguers?
“If anything, I don’t see why it can’t play better,” Gilbert said on the latest “Giants Talk” podcast. “These guys are closer to his age. He actually probably will relate with them more than I could relate with him back at Tennessee. Obviously he hasn’t played in MLB — maybe that’s the only thing he can’t relate on — but at the end of the day, I’ve been telling people it’s competition, so why can’t it be the same?
“Baseball is the same game. I’m excited to see that because that’s one of his biggest strengths.”
Gilbert describes the 47-year-old Vitello as a “chameleon” capable of talking to anybody and maintaining strong relationships up and down the roster. President of baseball operations Buster Posey is counting on that, and there’s little doubt that Vitello’s interpersonal skills played a strong part in the decision to hire him.
But the Giants clubhouse also needs an extra layer of accountability. A lot has changed over the last four years, but there has been a consistent theme. Under both Gabe Kapler and Bob Melvin, the Giants went into deep summer slides and finished right around .500.
Gilbert said Vitello’s players at Tennessee found that he was awesome to hang out with, but also toed the line well, commanding the proper respect in the player-coach relationship. He thinks Vitello will bring accountability and said his methods were “organic,” something that might surprise outsiders.
“It’s not this corny stuff or whatnot. I think maybe people have that misconception — (but) it’s not,” he said. “It’s organic. He does a great job. He has a way with words that’s really hard to explain. He’s an incredible motivator. I can’t explain that part, either. I’m excited to see that impact on our team.”
Those who know Vitello well have said over the past week that the clubhouse will see the culture change on day one of spring training. It’ll be an exciting first day at Scottsdale Stadium next February, one that Posey is hopeful will mark the start of a new era of winning Giants baseball.
Gilbert only has been with the organization since July and he knows he’ll be fighting for a job. But he can’t wait to sit in that room at Scottsdale Stadium and see how his teammates react to their new manager.
“At the end of the day, they’ll find out. You’ll find out pretty quickly what he’s about,” Gilbert said. “I’m confident in that and I’m excited for it. He’s not afraid and he’s going to come in and he’s not going to be all up in your face like that, but you’re going to understand what he’s about and how hard he wants to compete and how bad he wants to win. That’ll rub off on everyone real quick and I’m excited for that.”
The first few weeks of the spring always are filled with optimism, but there are many around the industry who wonder how Vitello will handle the grind of 162 games. Gilbert, who himself is wildly energetic, said that’s a question he has gotten a lot, and he doesn’t think that will be an issue, either.
He pointed out that Vitello is able to keep the same energy every day in part because he’s not playing in the games and compared him to legends like Pat Riley, Nick Saban and Bill Belichick who are known for their intensity.
“He’s going to bring it every day, I know that,” he said. “If we played 365 days out of the year, I still would believe that. He’s going to bring it and I think that’ll help the guys rally around that.”
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