When Tony Vitello first stepped onto the field for his first practice at Spring Training for the San Francisco Giants, it set him on a new course for his career.

Vitello is getting some attention from one of the most experienced MLB Insiders that pays attention to the game.

In looking at some surprising storylines entering Spring Training, Jim Bowden, a former longtime MLB executive, gave Vitello a tip of Bowden's cap in an article for The Athletic.

Bowden mentioned Vitello along with three other first-year MLB managers, Craig Stammen of the San Diego Padres and Kurt Suzuki of the Los Angeles Angels.

"Early in the offseason, the San Francisco Giants replaced Bob Melvin -- who has more than two decades of MLB managerial experience -- with Tony Vitello, the former head coach at the University of Tennessee," Bowden wrote. "Vitello is the first manager hired directly from a collegiate program without prior experience coaching professionally.

"Vitello arrives in professional baseball with an impressive resume," Bowden continued. "He had eight highly successful seasons at Tennessee, including winning the 2024 NCAA Championship.

"However, he has never gone through a major-league spring training and has never experienced a 162-game schedule," Bowden wrote. "How will he adjust to the professional game? Spring training will give us our first clues."

If anyone knows about the rigors of a major-league season, then it's Bowden, due to his work in the Cincinnati Reds' and Washington Nationals' front offices in his career.

The Giants, though, are not going to be sending Vitello out to the MLB "wolves," if you will, without some major-league support behind him. San Francisco hired Jayce Tingler, who previous was bench coach for the Minnesota Twins, to come over and be a part of Vitello's staff.

Once Tingler was hired, he remembered that his old friend, Ron Washington, was without a gig for this season, too. Washington had to step aside as manager of the Angels last season after undergoing bypass surgery. The Angels chose not to keep Washington as manager, so he was out there for any team to hire him.

Washington, who also previously was a manager for the Texas Rangers, also has worked on the Athletics and Atlanta Braves' coaching staffs in the past. He's known as an infield coaching guru, and that's the role Washington is going to fill for Vitello.

Washington is the Giants' infield coach, meaning that he's able to share his wisdom with rookies along with veterans, too.

Being able to have Tingler, who played college baseball with Vitello at the University of Missouri, and Washington alongside this season is a real pick-me-up for the rookie manager. He's going to be able to lean on their experience in game situations all season long.

But Vitello is the man in charge. He's the one that's going to be making final decisions throughout the season, ranging from pinch-hitting spots to using his bullpen effectively.

Sure, Vitello is one of the big surprises this season. Will it work out, though, for San Francisco throughout the season? Giants fans are going to be watching.

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