GROWING URGENCY: Giants Face Changes as Vitello Hints at Shakeups

Added: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]Tony Vitello speaks out on what's going on with the Giants. But are there any more moves he can even make? That's all coming up on Locked on Giants.

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[00:00:27]My name is Alan Styles here on a beautiful Friday with you and we are breaking down Tony Vitello's interview on the Giants flagship that happened about yesterday morning but it was after we posted. So we're going to get into that. We're also going to discuss are there any more moves that Tony Vitello can make from his point of view? Not what the Giants can do, trades, things like that. Not today. Just any tweaks that Tony Vitello can make that can get this thing back on the right track. And last but not least, a showdown with the worst team in Major League Baseball against the second worst team in Major League Baseball as the Giants take on the Colorado Rockies. So, let's start with the interview that Tony Vitello did on KMBBR, the Giants flagship. He was asked a couple of different questions and one of the things that he got into was alluding to the fact that the Giants need to have some type of tough conversation as the season continues.

[00:01:26]Here's the quote. Playing devil's advocate, maybe some conflict would be a good thing. Not being afraid to step on anybody's toes. There's moments where you have to say things that maybe aren't favorable in the moment. So, some people are getting tired of Tony Vitello stickick as he, you know, is just very introspective and doesn't really say concrete things. But in this moment, you know, he's there. He's going to get grilled. The KMBBR guys, they grilled Buster Posey last week. I think he said as much as you can say, right? I don't know that you're going to get on a radio show and say, "Yeah, somebody needs to mother bleep someone else in the locker room or in the clubhouse or anything like that." That's just not realistic, even if it's something that you or I think should happen. And maybe that is what he's saying, but just in a very nice way. I think the issue is who's doing the bleeping, right? Is it Casey Schmidt who's still somewhat young in this league? He's going to bleep out Willie Adamus or bleep out Matt Chapman the same way Matt Chapman bleeped him out. I think that would be poetic justice, but I don't see anything like that happening. Nobody from the core veterans is playing well enough to do that. Not even Logan Web when he returns. So, I think that's one of the problems. And it's not to say that you can't have a underassman, if you will, or an unproven, if you will, do the the bleep bleeping, but I don't know how that would work or I don't know how that would go by. So, you have an unproven manager and an unproven player that's playing well in the moment saying, "Hey, we need to do X, Y, and Z." I don't see something like that happening. the Giants that leader conversation that we've had before the pitching standpoint. Robbie Ray, I mean, I guess Louisa Rise is a name that I would throw out there, but I don't know if that clubhouse is, you know, in a position where they are going to be numb or blind to the fact that Luis Rice is probably out the door soon. And the reality is these guys know it's a business. They probably know Luis Rice is out the door soon. And that's not a reason to not say anything, but Louisa Rice probably knows that he's out the door soon. And Robbie Ray probably knows that he's out the door soon. These guys like to say that they don't read this or they don't pay attention to that, but they understand what this is. They understand how this works. So, you know, those are the two names that stick out to me, mostly Luis Arise, but I don't necessarily know if he's in that position with the the trade conversation staring him right in the face. You might figure, look, I'm not going to make any waves. I'm here to do my job. I'm doing it well. And if nobody else picks it up, I'm probably out of here anyway. So, why am I going to say anything? I don't think it would hurt, but I could see why he probably wouldn't want to be that guy or have that conversation. If they were, you know, I mean, a couple games out, maybe we're having a different conversation. But the fact that they're so far gone, if I'm Luis Rise, I I don't know. I got a I got two sides on my shoulder. one good, one bad, and I guess the bad in this in this situation would be, dude, bleep it.

[00:04:30]You're going to be out of here soon.

[00:04:31]Nobody else, everybody else is playing like bums, so what's the point? But the other side of my shoulder would say, hey, be a solid teammate. Not to say that he's not being a good teammate, but hey, go the extra mile and try to get these guys fired up. But, you know, these guys, I've said it time and time again, they're making so much money, man. I I don't think Luis Arise needs to sit there and tell Willie Adamis to know how many outs there are. Matt Chapman.

[00:04:53]Hey, can you try to hit a little bit better? You know, as Tony Vital says, they're pressing so hard. So, I'm just not really sure what that would serve from a player standpoint. But, you know, maybe there's something I'm missing. Who knows? Another quote that Tony Vitello got into. He was asked, "Would you consider making a change at third base?"

[00:05:13]And again, these aren't full quotes. You can go check out the full interview.

[00:05:16]This is what was pulled from KMBBR on their ex. Velo says, "I'm just trying to consider how I'm going to wake up this morning after a not great night of sleep. Mistakes are going to occur, but what are the ones that can absolutely be eliminated?" So, a lot of people are starting to get annoyed. This is what I'm talking about. Kind of the oh well, and I think Kyle Shanahan did it once before. Well, I don't know if I'm going to wake up in the morning or I don't know what's going to happen next year, so how am I supposed to give you an answer there? It's a copout, right? It's an easy way out. Even if you put kind of cute examples in it, you're not answering the question. And Tony Vitello, I think, you know, again, like I said, that's just a clip of it. Tony Vitello kind of did allude to we're looking at everything. But the idea, and here's the other part of it, right? The idea that he was going to get on KMBBR and say, yeah, we're going to remove Hector Boore, right? the the most real thing he could say is we're looking at everything and everybody it's a try out all across the board, right? It's a trial for myself. It's try out all across the board. But he wasn't going to get on there on the phone and say, "Yeah, Hector Bborg is about to get demoted." I just don't think that was going to happen. Now, it might still happen, but he wasn't going to say that on or during the interview. So, we shouldn't have expected that. And personally, I didn't. That doesn't mean that it it can't happen, though. So, those were kind of the the main quotes that got pulled and KMBBR only pulled a couple. So, that tells you it was a pretty vanilla interview. I don't know.

[00:06:49]After they went so spicy at Buster Posey, maybe they figured we'll give Tony Vital a break. I I don't know. But that thing went super viral and I mentioned it when it happened how these partnerships work. I know KBR and the Giants are deeply rooted together, but you know, there's definitely a line that you don't want to cross. And I'm not saying they cross it with Buster Posey, but I mean, they they were pretty tough on Buster. So, I wouldn't be surprised.

[00:07:17]Again, this is just my opinion. Not saying anybody told me anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if it get it got called in. Hey, we know that we're not playing well right now, but you know, when Tony gets in there, let's maybe be a little bit softer than we were or than you were to Buster. Not saying it happened, but like I said, and KBR was posting a lot of the quotes from Buster, don't get me wrong, but with all that being said, hey, one, you know, good cop, bad cop, hey, one week it's spicy, one week it's not. think they deserved to be spicier with Buster than Tony Bello if I'm being quite honest because Buster is the one that constructed this roster that isn't working. And Tony Bitello can only make whatever meal with what's in his refrigerator. That's just that's just what it is. You know, you don't have to agree that he's making a good meal every single night, but at the end of the day, if if your girl wants filet minan, but you got, you know, a cheaper steak in there, it ain't going to taste like filt, right? If you I if it's your anniversary meal and all you got is PB&J, you can cut the crust off and lightly toast it and do whatever you need to do. It's still a PB&J. And and maybe that's the argument. Tony ain't been making the nicest PB&Js. But again, you're dealing with a PB&J and the rest of the NL West, you have Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Fle, Guy Fury, you got a bunch of different chefs doing their thing with really good stuff in their uh in their fridges. And I know y'all love when I get into the the food comparisons. So that was for all the viewers out there, commenters that always hop on YouTube and on X and say, "Allan, we know you love food comparisons. How about this one?" So shout out to you. On the other side, let's talk about that fringe and let's talk about the moves that Tony Bello can make within, you know, the fringes to hopefully move this team in the right direction. More Locked on Giants coming up.

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[00:10:27]As we continue on, the conversation is about moves that Tony Vital can make.

[00:10:34]And you know, when you call players up, it's uh I guess more of a conversation with the front office, of course, because you have playing time, you have contracts, you have service time, you have all these different things. So, I don't necessarily even want to get into all of that when it comes to the moves Tony Vitello can make. At the end of the day, he has got to find a way to, I guess, contort this lineup and contort this rotation in a much better way than he's currently doing. And I'm not saying he's doing a bad job, but they're losing games. So, that kind of means that he's doing a bad job. Let's start here. And we talked about it a little bit yesterday. Hectorborg does have to be demoted. I just think that he is the easiest move to make. He is a guy that has uh proven himself not to be worthy of the position. That is no disrespect, but that's just the truth. And the proof is in the pudding, right? We're watching it. When I got into the conversation about the the hitting coach and the pitching coach and moves that could be made there, it was a little different because you could say, "Well, Allan, we don't know that the the hitting staff and the pitching staff aren't doing their job. Maybe the hitters just aren't executing." What are you really going to tell Rafi Des? What are you really going to tell Willie Adamis? What are you really going to tell Matt Chapman at this stage in their career? What are you going to tell them? Right? They they probably feel like they know their swing better than anyone and they're right.

[00:12:04]So, what are you going to tell them on the pitching staff? What are you going to tell Robbie Ray? What are you going to tell Logan Webb, Tyler Mi, Adrien Hower? These guys aren't rookies. What are you going to tell them? Right? So, it's a little bit different. And the rotation of course and the the bullpen as well. What are you going to tell them? You know, when the pinch hitting comes up, that's mostly a manager thing and those types of decisions. The the hitting coach, pitching coach, that's mechanics, X's and O's. Maybe it can vary a little bit, but that's typically how it goes in addition to, hey, I think we should go here or I think we should go there. I know it's a collective effort, but just for the most part. So, that was a little different. That's not the conversation at third base with Hector Borg. We're watching it happen, right? We are watching it happen. So there's no argument. Well, you know, it's not Tony Bell telling Hectorborg to send someone, right, or to hold someone.

[00:12:58]Those are Hectorborg's decisions. He is put there to make those decisions. And Tony Bello was asked, how did Hectorborg even get the job to begin with? And again, you know, hindsight is going to be 2020 with these decisions. But the fact that we know somebody's name, it's like Beetlejuice. If you have to say your third base coach's name three times, you probably should be canned.

[00:13:22]You probably should be fired. And that's not to call for anybody's job. That's just the reality. He is the number one person that we can look at and say, "You are not succeeding at your job." You can't necessarily say that about the hitting coach. You can't necessarily say that about the pitching coach. You can't necessarily say that about Tony Vital.

[00:13:44]It might be a good game plan, but players aren't executing. Hectorborg is the only person in that organization right now. We can hold Buster Posey and and Zack Manassian separate a little bit. The only person where you're say outside of the players, of course, where you're saying your actions are hurting the team. Your immediate actions are hurting the team. So, because of that, it's just the easiest way to cut the bait. The easiest way to cut the bait.

[00:14:13]Now, as we move on from Hectorborg, the other move that Tony Vitello should make is it's time for a Tyler Mi demotion, right? And the reason I say it's time for a demotion and moving him to the bullpen is because Tony Bello was asked about a six-man rotation. Tony Bello said that would be a dark horse in the race. He doesn't foresee them going with a a six-man rotation as Logan Webb is set to return here very very soon. So, if you're not going with the six-man rotation, who's leaving the And he also said Adrien Howser is set. So, if you're not going with the six-man rotation, then who exactly do you expect to leave the rotation? And I believe Logan Webb is coming back tonight. So, those conversations are going to have to happen very, very soon, if not already.

[00:15:03]So, if you're not going with the six-man rotation, Tyler Mi, your time is up, brother. Your time is up. I think that's just the easiest way to go about this. He hasn't been pitching well. So, there's no argument and there's no conversation of whether or not well maybe maybe he should do this or maybe he should do that. There's no conversation there because he has not been producing. So, it's not a matter of all right, well, maybe it could be Trevor McDonald.

[00:15:36]Nobody wants to see that. Maybe they could have kept the door open. They could have kept the door open and said, "No, no, we might actually do a a six-man rotation." Tony said he doesn't see that happening. So, Tyler Mali, and I'm just triple checking here that they didn't announce something. I'm not seeing anything anywhere. So, Tyler Mi, you know, it just it has to it has to be done. It wasn't a good run. maybe he's just better suited out of the bullpen, you know, and there's really nothing wrong with that, you know. Uh sometimes guys flourish in better situations or in different situations and maybe that can be the case with Tyler Mi kind of refinding himself. So those are the moves that I would I would make. Maybe they've already made some of them. Maybe later today we'll find out, hey, with Web returning, maybe they'll make a full announcement. They announced smaller things. They announced when Bryce Eldridge is starting a game, so maybe they'll announce that. Now, uh, could that completely turn the season around?

[00:16:37]Well, I don't know if anything is going to completely turn the season around, but I've already changed my expectations. I've already looked at the expectations and I've already, you know, said to myself, look, if they can find a way to at the very least get back to playing good baseball and move some of these pieces for the future and get some young guys, Joe Gonzalez, we'll talk about it next week, flying up the prospect boards. I know he's not going to be ready next season, but if you can start to do stuff like that, maybe it's time to at least focus there, right? And then if they get hot, oh shoot, they're playing good ball. But I'm not looking at the wild card anymore. I'm not doing any of that. I promise you. And if I do do it, I won't talk about it on the show unless they get really, really hot.

[00:17:22]Maybe that's just where they're at right now. So those are the immediate moves as far as the rest of the lineup. I mean, it's tough, man. What exactly are they supposed to is Tony Vital in particular supposed to do? Well, I would say this.

[00:17:37]Next time you play the Diamondbacks, don't flip. Don't flip Cel Marte to the right side. You could do that. You could start there. And I know somebody's gonna say it, so I'll just bring it up myself.

[00:17:49]Yeah, bench Matt Chapman more. I would do that. Continue to or not continue to bench Matt Chapman more. And if Willie gets cold, bench him, too. But mostly Matt Chapman. I haven't even checked Matt Chapman's stats in a while. I just know they've been atrocious. 229. I still don't even know how he's over 200.

[00:18:08]I truly don't. The OPS 630, that still feels way too high for Matt Chapman, but you know, even within 222, which isn't good, you can still bench him. And Willie Thomas, bench him, too. Just mix in some of those. Just at least make us happy in that way. See some of the other guys. I don't care who's in Sacramento.

[00:18:29]Just bring them up. Bring up some infielders just because. Just do that.

[00:18:33]One more segment with you. Let's get into that Rockies preview. If this goes south, could we see some real moves?

[00:18:39]More locked on Giants coming up.

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[00:19:59]Okay, we have made it to the softest point of the Giants schedule. And I say that as respectfully as possible, but the Rockies are worse than the Giants.

[00:20:12]Yes, it is possible to be worse than the Giants. And look, I actually thought that the the Rockies would be better this season and maybe based on their win total, they are slightly better, but the Rockies two games worse than the Giants.

[00:20:27]Good for the worst record in the league.

[00:20:29]The Giants are tied for second worst record in the league, if that's any consolation to any Rockies fans that happen to be listening or watching this.

[00:20:37]20 and 37. They are two in their last eight. The Giants are three in their last seven. The Giants are 14 games back. Man, I haven't looked at the NL West feels like in years. 14 games back.

[00:20:50]The Rockies are 6 and a half or 16 and a half games back. The Rockies are 10 and 15 at home, 10 and 22 on the road. The Giants are 12 and 16 at home, 10 and 18 on the road. These teams are pretty similar. And I know it feels like the Giants should just go out here, take care of business, you're getting Logan Webb back. But these teams both stink.

[00:21:12]They do. They're they're both bad and one team is supposed to be bad, one team isn't, but that doesn't mean that they're not both bad. And the Giants are a little bit better than than the Rockies, but that's about it. This thing could go a couple different ways. And if it doesn't go well for the Giants, I do think you'll see some moves. I don't know what those moves could be, but a lot is being put on playing the worst team in the league. And I guess the idea that you're still better than that, right? I don't think they have to sweep them, per se. I don't know if the Giants have a sweep this season. It doesn't feel like they do. I know they've been swept a couple times. I don't think they have to sweep them, but you really need to win this series. And it could get ugly if you don't. And again, that's why I thought the Hector Borg conversation should have already happened because and maybe it's a situation where there's no announcement. And it just when the game starts tonight, Hector Borg ain't out there because at least something happened. If the Giants just lose or get swept, you're not going to just remove Hector Borg from third base if nothing happened at third base. So, this was an easy opportunity for Tony Vitello to do that, right? Or for the Giants organization to do that. I'm sure they're they're leaving it up to Tony Vitello at least on some level. The Rockies are 15th in batting average. So, middle of the road, not terrible. 25th in OPS. That's not good. 23rd in home runs, that's not great. Pitching, they are last in erra, that's bad. And they are last in whip. That's also bad. So, that's the thing. The Giants not being able to put the whole pie together or the whole gumbo together. That's a little bit different than the Rockies who they you talk about ingredients. I I think Tony Bello actually has some decent ingredients compared to what the Gabe Kapplers of the world had. And I think that's the other piece of this.

[00:23:05]We're sitting here looking at this roster construction saying, "Man, this is terrible." Gabe Kappler went out there, won 107 games with a lot of dudes that aren't in the league anymore. So, and we might call that a fluke season, but he still did it. And I think there's something to be said about that. As far as the Giants pitching goes, as you have the, like I said, the Rockies are, and they're second to last in strikeouts.

[00:23:30]They don't strike out. They're just not good, right? I mean, they're they're just not very good at baseball. The Giants, where they sit as far as their erra, they're 19th. So, they're not great either. They're on the bottom half, but they are still much, much better than the Colorado Rockies who are down there with the Astros and the Angels and the Reds and the Nationals, but the Colorado Rockies are last. So, those are some of the situations or those are some of the opportunities that the Giants will have. And you're playing on the road. We know how Korsfield plays. So if you're gonna complain, and I know it's not the Giants, but if you're gonna complain about playing at Oracle Park, well then dang it, take advantage when you play and hit our friendly ballparks and go out there and put up a 10 spot every single night. Is that realistic? I don't know. But we have nothing to complain about. No triples alley, you know, no bad win, whatever it is. We know the ball flies out there. So, if that's part of the issue and that's how you're built, get Bryce Bryce Eldidge should play all three games. All three games. And Tony Bello talked about playing Bryce Eldridge more. He didn't say that they had any type of discussion as far as the organization or his coaching staff. He just said that, "Yeah, we look at matchups and lately the matchups have been adding up." Look, Tony, bleep the matchups. Bryce needs to play every single game. Every single game in Colorado because we need that dude's confidence to start to soar. All your big boppers need to play. I get it with Jon Hu Lee out. You got to go with Drew Gilbert and things like that, but I want to see the ball fly. This is the launch angle game. This is the launch angle series. Take advantage of this while you can. That's what you need to do. And hopefully they can turn some momentum around. I'm tired of being so negative.

[00:25:16]It's Friday. Dang it. I want to be in a good mood. I want to celebrate some wins. It feels like forever. It's getting old. It's getting old complaining about the Giants. But we can't change that unless the Giants win games. Thank you for listening to Lockdown Giants. Thank you for watching Locked On Giants. Be sure to follow me on social media at the_SAF Files with an I. If you never miss an episode, the Everyday Dair Club is built for you. Get Locked on Giants at free plus members only discord access and more. Head to locked on sfgiupcast.com to join the club. For those of you on video, we sing to the first ever 247 National Locked on Podcast Network YouTube channel on audio. Make sure you make your second listen lock on MLB. We will talk to you on Monday. Until then, peace.