Copyright The Boston Globe
“It’s groundbreaking,” Glavine said. “It makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. He’s at the right age and he’s had a lot of success. But it’s something nobody has ever done.” There aren’t any direct comparisons to this move. Unlike the NFL and NBA, baseball has never viewed college coaches as suitable managerial candidates. Dick Howser jumped from Florida State to the Yankees in 1980. But Howser played eight seasons in the majors and was third base coach of the Yankees from 1969-78. That’s as close as it gets and it’s not very close. Vitello, 47, played at Missouri and stayed with the program as a volunteer assistant after he graduated in 2002. He was an assistant at TCU and Arkansas before moving to Tennessee in 2018. He took a team that was 27-25 in 2017 to the College World Series in 2021 then returned to Omaha in ‘23 and won the national championship in ’24. Charismatic and brash, Vitello was one of the biggest personalities in the college game. That’s not how it works in the majors, where the spotlight shines brightest on the players. Vitello’s challenges will be numerous. Tennessee played 65 games last season, 40 percent of a major league season not counting spring training. The grind of a major league season — and the cross-country travel — is nothing like what he has experienced. The front office controls the roster and coaching staff, and players with guaranteed long-term contracts won’t be nearly as easy to cajole as a college player. College programs also can shut the media out any time they like, something not allowed at the highest level. But Glavine also sees the benefits. “He won’t have to worry about recruiting, NIL, scheduling, and fundraising. He’ll be able to just focus on baseball,” he said. “I think he’ll do a good job. He’ll be able to relate to the players and he knows what he’s getting into. He knows what high-end talent looks like because he’s been around those kind of players and he’s been around that lifestyle.” Vitello did not take the job without gathering plenty of intelligence. He became close to Max Scherzer at Missouri and coached players like Andrew Benintendi and Garrett Crochet during his career. “I’m sure there are going to be doubters,” Scherzer said. “But kudos to Buster for recognizing what a leader he is. Tony’s going to bring an energy and a fire to that clubhouse and the players will respond. “There’s too much reliance on analytics or having somebody behind a laptop who’s never stepped foot on the field telling the manager how to run the game. I was thrilled when I heard about this.” Another one of Vitello’s former players, outfielder Drew Gilbert, was traded to the Giants last season and made his major league debut. Gilbert is 25 and has played 39 games in the majors. How veterans like Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers, Robbie Ray, and Logan Webb react to their new manager could be much different. But the Giants have made the playoffs once in the last nine seasons and are six games under .500 since 2022. Their organizational identity is that they have a beautiful ballpark. Credit Posey trying something different than hiring one of the well-regarded assistant coaches on the market. Vitello is a personality. MLB Network hired him an analyst for the draft and he took over the telecast with his opinions. Tennessee fans thought so much of Vitello that they showed up at an intrasquad scrimmage last week and implored him to stay. His style chafed some coaches in the SEC. But in a division that includes the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Padres, the Giants could use some of that. As major league rosters become younger, other teams will be watching to see if this works. The Red Sox are a good example. Had Roman Anthony attended the University of Mississippi instead of signing with the Sox he would have been eligible for the 2025 Draft. Instead he made his major league debut June 9. Payton Tolle debuted at 22, only 15 months after he pitched his final game at TCU. At 22, Toronto rookie Trey Yesavage has already started four games in the postseason and 21-year-old Jackson Chourio was one of Milwaukee’s best players this season. Managers, the Sox’ Alex Cora among them, often lament that players arrive in the majors armed with individual skills but lacking a deeper understanding of team fundamentals and how to handle situations that come up in games. MLB’s 2020 decision to condense the draft to 20 rounds and eliminate short-season leagues created even fewer teaching opportunities. “In the last few years major league teams have been hiring a lot of coaches out of college programs to work in player development,” said UConn coach Jim Penders, who had four of his former players in the majors this season. “College coaches are teachers first, that’s their vocation. I think that’s the mentality that [Vitello] will bring. The question is can you do that over 162 games? We try to be more transformative than transactional with our players. Can you do that managing players in their 30s who have their own families? I don’t know.” A comparison could be made to Pat Murphy, a legendary former college coach who has won 190 games the last two seasons managing the Brewers. But he played in the minors and coached with the Padres and Brewers before becoming manager. What Vitello is doing is something entirely different. “It’s unfathomable,” Penders said. But Glavine sees it as a no-risk move for Vitello. “If it doesn’t work, college programs would be lining up to hire him,” he said. “A lot of people will be watching to see what happens.” Let’s assume Trevor Story stays with the Red Sox rather than opt out of his contract and leave $55 million on the table. That decision will be due after the World Series. The shortstop is coming off a solid season. But Story also turns 33 in November and has missed 328 games the last four years because of injuries. Story has said his intention is to stay with the Sox. That would make Marcelo Mayer available to play to second base or third base. From there, the Red Sox offseason would not seem particularly complicated. The first task would be to sign or trade for a No. 2 starter. Then either retain third baseman Alex Bregman or add another righthanded hitter with power. Everything else is filling in the gaps. Kutter Crawford, Cooper Criswell, Hunter Dobbins, Connelly Early, Richard Fitts, Kyle Harrison, Luis Perales, Patrick Sandoval, and Payton Tolle would be candidates for the two open spots in the rotation coming into spring training. That’s a significant amount of depth that could be supplemented by some value signings. The Red Sox have their closer (Aroldis Chapman) and their setup man (Garrett Whitlock). The only real bullpen need is replacing lefthander Justin Wilson, who will be a free agent. The Sox scored 786 runs this season despite all their injuries and the unexpected trade of Rafael Devers. Full seasons from Mayer and outfielder Roman Anthony should improve on that, as would the return of first baseman Triston Casas to even just a league average level. Even if they trade an outfielder to fill another need, the Sox are set up to have a potent lineup. A few other observations on the Red Sox: ▪ Catcher Tyler Heineman spent most of the 2024 season with Triple A Worcester, appearing in only two games for the Red Sox. The Blue Jays claimed the 34-year-old off waivers late in the season and he emerged as their backup this year. “[The Red Sox] are doing a really good job with their pitchers and how they develop them,” Heineman said. “I caught Dobbins and Fitts and a lot of the guys who were in their bullpen this year. “I have respect for the way they went about it. They had good plans for each pitcher and the way they communicated it was great.” ▪ The Blue Jays are high on infielder Cutter Coffey, who was acquired from the Sox in the 2024 trade for catcher Danny Jansen. A second-round pick in 2018, Coffey started to show some power at High A Greenville in ’24 then had 26 doubles and 11 homers for High A Vancouver this season and earned a spot in the Arizona Fall League. ▪ The Hall of Fame will reveal the players on the Contemporary Baseball Era ballot Nov. 3. The results will be announced Dec. 7. The ballot is chosen by 11 writers and historians and is voted on by a 16-member group made up largely of Hall of Fame players and veteran executives. Dwight Evans is eligible to be on this ballot as the contemporary era encompasses players whose greatest impact came from 1980 on. The Blue Jays were runners-up for Shohei Ohtani in 2023 before he signed with the Dodgers, to a point there were erroneous reports that had him flying to Toronto to sign a contract. “When we met with him, you felt good about it, and you felt good about the feedback he was giving about our organization and an opportunity here,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “But you never really know what a player’s feeling in free agency, and there’s a lot of things that have to line up for them personally, too.” Schneider said the Blue Jays presented Ohtani with a team cap at their meeting and a jacket for his dog, Decoy. Then he picked the Dodgers and kept the swag. “It’s like, give us our stuff back already,” Schneider joked. Ohtani said the hat is in his garage in California. Toronto also pursued Roki Sasaki last offseason, hosting him for a visit in January. The belief around the league was that Sasaki met with teams only to gain information and intended to pick the Dodgers from the beginning. Sasaki pushed back on that idea when asked about the Blue Jays. “Both teams, the front office, the analysis was spot-on and I came away very impressed with both teams,” he said via a translator. “I’ve stated some things in the press conference, but it’s actually really hard to express why I eventually chose the Dodgers.” Mookie Betts had an uncharacteristically low .664 OPS through Aug. 3. It was too late to save his season statistically, but Betts hit .311 with an .847 OPS in his final 48 games of the regular season after he spent some time with former teammate J.D. Martinez when the Dodgers were in Tampa to play the Rays. “We hung out, we hit, we went to eat. He kind of just came to check in,” Betts said. “We did a lot mentally, some physical [adjustments], but a lot mentally just to help me get back on track.” Their relationship goes back to 2018 when Martinez signed with the Red Sox and quickly became a clubhouse presence. They also played together with the Dodgers in 2023. Martinez knew what Betts needed to hear. “He wasn’t really worried about the performance, per se. He was more worried about mentally being able to perform, being in the right spot mentally to perform,” Betts said. “I’m appreciative for him. He said at a lot of things at that time that registered. He’s not my hitting coach or hitting friend. Just a genuine friend that came to hang out.” … Pete Walker pitched for the Blue Jays from 2002-06 then rejoined the organization as a minor league coach in 2009. Walker became the pitching coach in 2013 and has lasted through three managers. “You go through some difficult times as a coaching staff, as an organization,” he said. “To be able to see it through to the World Series is just so refreshing. It’s just something that obviously tugs at my heart.” Walker was born in Beverly and grew up with older brothers who were Red Sox fans. “I was 5 when we moved to Connecticut but we had those Red Sox roots,” he said. “Once I put on a Blue Jays uniform at Fenway, they kind of severed those ties. But it’s been quite a ride.” … It would have pleased Tim Wakefield to know the Tigers have a 28-year-old knuckleballer named Kenny Serwa who made it to Double A this season and is playing in the Arizona Fall League. Serwa played for four colleges and two independent teams before the Tigers signed him in January. He had a 3.58 ERA in 27 minor league games. Serwa throws an unusually hard knuckler (88 m.p.h.) that darts more than it floats … Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, a Wisconsin native who grew up a Brewers fan, was supposed to throw out a first pitch at American Family Field in 2024. But the Brewers rescinded their invitation after the Pacers beat the Bucks in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Haliburton never forgot the slight and wore Cubs and Dodgers jerseys during the playoffs this season. “Baseball, I’m a free agent,” he said … Happy birthday to Dave Coleman, who is 75. An outfielder from Ohio, Coleman played 11 games for the Red Sox in 1977, going 0 for 12 with a walk. Coleman made his major league debut on April 13 at Comiskey Park when he pinch hit for Denny Doyle in the seventh inning. With the Red Sox down, 3-1, and a runner on second base, Coleman popped out to shortstop. Bob Ryan, covering the game for the Globe, wrote that manager Don Zimmer was asked why Coleman was his choice instead of a more experienced player. “I just picked the man I thought could get a base hit for us,” Zimmer said. Coleman was an 18th-round draft pick in 1969 and signed with the Sox in 1970. He played parts of seven seasons in the minors before getting called up. The Sox traded Coleman to the Twins before the 1979 season but he didn’t return to the majors before leaving baseball after the ’81 season.
