Giants manager Tony Vitello too candid with media, baseball experts say

Sports personalities compare Vitello's openness to former Team USA manager Mark DeRosa

Apr. 3, 2026 at 9:03pm by Ben Kaplan

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting a baseball manager in a press conference, with his face and body broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of muted earth tones, conveying the nuanced challenges of managing public perception as a team leader.A cubist interpretation of a baseball manager's candid interactions with the media, reflecting the complexities of balancing transparency and discretion.San Francisco Today

In his first year as San Francisco Giants manager, Tony Vitello has shown a willingness to be open and transparent with the media, sharing details about the team's celebrations and inner workings. While some find this refreshing, baseball experts have cautioned that Vitello may need to be more guarded in order to maintain a steady public persona as the face of the organization.

Why it matters

Vitello's candid approach has drawn comparisons to former Team USA manager Mark DeRosa, who was also known for being overly open with the media. Experts believe Vitello will need to find a balance between authenticity and discretion in order to best serve the Giants and their fanbase.

The details

Sports personality Chris Rose said Vitello has a "Mark DeRosa syndrome," referring to DeRosa's tendency to share too much inside information about his team. Rose advised Vitello not to "make everything a story" and to be more selective in what he shares publicly. Meanwhile, Yahoo Sports analysts Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz praised Vitello's transparency but warned that he may need to "keep it a little bit more even keeled" for the sake of his job.

  • The Giants have won 3 of their last 4 games after an 0-3 start to the season.

The players

Tony Vitello

The first-year manager of the San Francisco Giants who has shown a willingness to be open and transparent with the media.

Mark DeRosa

A former MLB player who worked as the manager of Team USA and was known for being overly open with the media, according to experts.

Chris Rose

A sports personality who compared Vitello's openness to DeRosa's on a radio show.

Jordan Shusterman

A Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst who praised Vitello's authenticity but warned he may need to be more even-keeled.

Jake Mintz

A Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst who also commented on Vitello's transparency and the need for him to manage it better.

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What they’re saying

“I think he's got a little bit of Mark DeRosa syndrome. What I mean by that is D-Ro, who's a buddy of mine, I worked with him for a decade at Major League Baseball Network. To me, his biggest issue with Team USA was that he kind of let us in a little too much.”

— Chris Rose, Sports personality

“So you can't tell everything that's on your brain and have it come out of your mouth. And I would say, if there's one word of advice ... You don't have to make everything a story, I would say. But I find him fascinating, and I'm on board with him.”

— Chris Rose, Sports personality

“I do appreciate Tony's authenticity, it's so refreshing, and his willingness to just be like, 'This is how I feel,' and he, this is how he felt after the second game. That transparency and honesty is refreshing for us. But for the purpose of the job and for keeping things steady as the unofficial spokesperson of the baseball team, that is the part of his job that is just so different now, and the part that he's gonna have to figure out how to manage.”

— Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst

“It doesn't mean I want Tony Vitello to suddenly become boring, and I don't think that's ever really going to happen. But for his own sake, we're gonna have to kind of keep it, keep it a little bit more even keeled.”

— Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports senior MLB analyst

“You just gotta give him a chance. That's the thing. You know, just give him a chance and then you got to give him more than a year to make the adjustment.”

— Dusty Baker, Baseball legend

What’s next

The Giants host the New York Mets at 10:15 ET on April 3.

The takeaway

Vitello's candid approach has drawn both praise and caution from baseball experts, who believe he will need to find a balance between authenticity and discretion in order to best serve the Giants organization. As a first-year manager, he will need time to adjust to the unique demands of the job, including managing his public persona.