One of the most important hires a president of baseball operations makes during his tenure is the team’s managers. Ahead of the 2026 season, Buster Posey hired Tony Vitello as the San Francisco Giants’ manager despite lacking previous experience. Posey’s decision appears to have backfired as the Giants are having one of the worst seasons in franchise history. The recent incident with Rafael Dvers also showed that maybe the first-year manager cannot lead the older player. As questions arise on Vitello’s managerial abilities, Posey has come out to defend his manager.

“I feel like Tony has the clubhouse,” Posey told reporters, per NBC Sports. “I think he has the respect of the players in the clubhouse. Everything’s going to be heightened when our record is what it is, but there’s no concern on my part that he doesn’t have the respect of the clubhouse.”

Posey hired Vitello straight out of the University of Tennessee. He has no prior experience in professional baseball, not as a player, coach, or manager. His inexperience raised questions about Vitello’s respect inside the locker room. But Posey was quick to shut them down.

The doubts about Vitello’s authority are not entirely baseless assumptions.

Earlier in the season, Vitello joked that he can’t talk down to players because they are near his age. However, the manager is 47, and he is 13 years older than the oldest Giants player, Robbie Ray. At the time, Vitello’s comments cast doubts on his authority.

The speculations around Vitello’s locker respect rose again after the Devers incident. During the Giants’ 2-1 loss to the Miami Marlins, Vitello sent Jonah Cox to pinch run for Devers in the ninth. However, Devers was visibly frustrated with the decision and wagged his finger towards Vitello in the dugout, telling him not to send Cox. The 1B even tried to send Cox back, in an attempt to stay in the game. But with the decision made, Devers had to head back to the dugout, and he did so while avoiding his coaches.

Though Devers later revealed he had apologized to the manager, it sparked new doubts surrounding Vitello’s authority, especially with veterans in the team who have more MLB experience than the first-year manager.

Moreover, instead of improving, the Giants are currently having an even worse season than the last. They hold a 32-46 record and are 14 games away from reaching the .500 threshold. The Giants have scored only 320 runs this season, the same as the New York Mets, ranking 25th in the league. The Giants’ pitching staff, on the other hand, has given up 375 runs, posting a 4.40 ERA.

With the Giants’ chances of getting into the postseason being bleak, the blame has shifted to the leadership. In the face of criticism, Posey has once more defended his manager, shouldering the blame.

According to NBC Sports, Posey said, “I always feel like I take more blame if the guys don’t play well because it’s my responsibility to pick the players that I believe are going to be successful on the field.”

Vitello’s clubhouse issues are not the only problem for Posey. While the team loses on the field, a massive off-field issue has hit the front office. Posey spoke to reporters for the first time since the team’s messy Pride Night uniform controversy became a federal case.

Buster Posey gives vague answers on Pride Night

The Giants have attracted media attention with their Pride Night fiasco. The actions of Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker put the team in the middle of an unwanted controversy. While the three players writing Bible verses on their rainbow SF Giants caps drew backlash from the LGBTQIA+ community, Christians accused the Giants of interfering with the players’ personal choices. The actions and the consequences that followed even include a federal investigation into the MLB.

In such a situation, Buster Posey’s press conference was supposed to bring answers. But Posey avoided those questions and provided a vague statement only.

“I’d like to recognize that the organization has shared its response to Pride Night, and I understand there’s strong feelings on this topic. There’s differing perspectives,” said Posey, per KSBW. “Out of respect to everybody involved, it’s not something that I’m going to revisit. I understand that some fans are upset and frustrated, and I can promise you that this is something that we have talked about a lot internally and will continue to do so.”

He further added, “Our focus is on the team right now, the upcoming draft, the trade deadline, and trying to win games. Anybody that has baseball questions, I’m happy to take baseball questions from you.”

Though Posey has avoided such questions, the case itself continues to escalate. Rob Manfred has blamed the Giants for not communicating properly. Hence, the Giants are also at risk of facing a probe.