Giants' Tony Vitello hinting at favoritism before arriving in Bay Area with Drew Gilbert comments originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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.

Tennessee was an afterthought in the SEC before Vitello transformed the program into one of the nation’s best. Over eight seasons, Vitello led the Vols to a 341-131 record, winning a national title in 2024 and making the Super Regionals on three occasions.

Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes the first change they need to make is getting another starting pitcher behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray, with Justin Verlander entering free agency. Miller believes they should make a three-team trade to grab Cincinnati Reds star pitcher Brady Singer.

When coaching changes at Oregon State led Gilbert to reevaluate his choices, Vitello returned with the same level of effort, and by then, it was clear that he was turning Tennessee into something special. Gilbert decided to visit the campus and saw right away that it was where he wanted to be, in large part because of Vitello's messaging.