Ex-Giants’ star defends Tony Vitello amid team’s struggles

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Ex-Giants’ star defends Tony Vitello amid team’s struggles

Originally posted on MLB on ClutchPoints
By Malik Brown, ClutchPoints | Last updated May 22, 2026 11:23 AM ET

The San Francisco Giants have gotten off to a 20-30 start and have lost their last three games, but there is still optimism that things can turn around. Tony Vitello is in his first season as the manager, and some are watching to see if he can gather the clubhouse together and figure things out.

There is one person who believes in Vitello, and it’s ex-Giants star Hunter Pence. He recently shared with Willard and Dibs what he’s learned about Vitello after talking to him.

“No matter what team you’re on, there’s going to be tough situations, tough conversations,” Pence said. “I definitely think Vitello is equipped to handle this situation. He’s got so many great minds around him that are there and supporting him as well. You got Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy there on a daily basis.

"I definitely think Vitello is equipped to handle this situation."
– @hunterpence on @WillardAndDibs

Do you agree with Hunter that Tony Vitello can help the Giants recover from a 20-30 start? pic.twitter.com/nAavXpjoQc

— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 21, 2026

“Tony Vitello is extremely smart. There’s a lot of depth to him. It’s not short-term, and it’s long-term as well. Obviously, he’s competitive and wants the short term to win now, and they’re gonna fight to the finish. There’s no doubt about that.”

It looks as if Vitello is still working through things as they happen, which should be no surprise when looking at the situation that he’s in. The recent thing he was blasted on was Bryce Eldridge’s playing time, and many were confused about why the star prospect wasn’t seeing more playing time.

Eldridge has deserved more playing time, especially since he was called up, but Vitello has decided to utilize batboys instead.

There is still a lot of time in the season, and the Giants aren’t all the way down bad yet.

This article first appeared on MLB on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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