Buster Posey’s ‘frank evaluation’ of Tony Vitello hints at Giants manager’s standing

The Giants have disappointed so far during the 2026 season.

They were 41-55 at the All-Star break, ranking 24th in MLB in runs per game (4.11) and 22nd in ERA (4.46).

First-year manager Tony Vitello is taking much of the blame, as that’s the natural order for an underperforming team.

But Buster Posey, the legendary Giants catcher turned president of baseball operations, isn’t publicly blaming Vitello. This was evident in Posey’s response when asked about Vitello during a Thursday appearance on KNBR’s “Murph and Markus” show.

“My frank evaluation is Tony and his staff are doing a really good job,” Posey said.

He then added, “You mentioned people want to grab articles, and clickbait, and stuff. Maybe they’ll say, ‘Buster says Tony’s staff is doing a great job, and they’re 15 games under .500.’ But I get to be there every day, I get to see their interaction, I get to see their work; I get to see them trying to solve this puzzle that we’re in right now.

“So, I think Tony and his staff are doing a great job,” Posey said.

Perhaps it would have been unfair to expect Posey to call out Vitello publicly for their team’s struggles so far this season. Although some Giants fans are calling for Vitello to be fired, Posey’s display of confidence shows that Vitello is probably not on the hot seat yet.

But the bottom line is that Vitello’s team has underperformed. And given that he signed a three-year contract that’s worth $3.5 million annually, there’s an expectation that he’ll produce wins in San Francisco.

Tony Vitello’s tough Giants start isn’t just about San Francisco’s record

While 41-55 is not where anyone associated with the Giants expected to be, Vitello’s subpar start isn’t just about San Francisco’s position in the NL West standings.

Vitello has been under fire for having poor communication with his players, including when starting pitcher Tyler Mahle wasn’t informed that he was limited to 85 pitches in the Giants’ June 29 loss to the Diamondbacks.

How Vitello communicated with the Giants’ roster was a major point of interest heading into the 2026 season because Vitello arrived after leading the University of Tennessee’s baseball program.

Therefore, Vitello’s communication with his team is under the microscope. And the chatter around Vitello’s standing will only get louder if the Giants continue to struggle in the second half of the season.

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