IMAGE: St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (0, left) is late putting the tag on San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames (2) who was ruled safe at second base after stealing the base in the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. \/ USA TODAY NETWORK-USA TODAY NETWORK \/ Imagn Images<\/div>\n
Drew Gilbert hasn\u2019t been in San Francisco long, but it\u2019s already clear why Giants fans are all-in on the rookie outfielder. Just ask Tony Vitello, who coached Gilbert at Tennessee and now finds himself reunited with him at the big-league level.<\/p>\n
Vitello joined NBC Sports Bay Area\u2019s Giants Talk<\/em> podcast and offered an inside look at what makes Gilbert so magnetic – both in the clubhouse and in the stands. And it starts with one thing: the guy plays like every inning matters.<\/p>\n\u201cI think it\u2019s easy to see how much he wants to win,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cIf you pay for a ticket to go to the game, you want to see a win\u2026 so you want that equal kind of give from the players. And with Drew, because he wears his emotions on his sleeve so much, you\u2019ll never doubt it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That emotional transparency – the fire, the reactions, the way Gilbert carries himself on the field – isn\u2019t just for show. It\u2019s the real deal, and it resonates.<\/p>\n
Fans see it. Teammates feel it.<\/p>\n
And Vitello believes that\u2019s where Gilbert\u2019s true impact lies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s other players too that there\u2019s as much give, but you just don\u2019t see it as much,\u201d Vitello added. \u201cFor him, you have that visual – the way he plays, the emotion he plays with – and it can really affect the locker room.<\/p>\n
I think that\u2019s his strength. It\u2019ll never leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
That kind of presence is rare. It\u2019s not just about hustle or highlight plays – it\u2019s about a mindset that elevates everyone around him.<\/p>\n
Gilbert isn\u2019t just playing the game; he\u2019s igniting it. And for a Giants team looking to build something sustainable, that kind of energy is foundational.<\/p>\n
Now that Vitello and Gilbert are back on the same team – this time under the bright lights of the majors – the focus has shifted to long-term growth. The talent is there.<\/p>\n
The fire is constant. But the next step is building out the rest of his game to withstand the grind of a full MLB season.<\/p>\n
Vitello emphasized that Gilbert is locked in on that process. He\u2019s not just riding momentum – he\u2019s working to make sure his game evolves and holds up over time. That\u2019s the difference between a flash in the pan and a cornerstone player.<\/p>\n
Back in Knoxville, Gilbert\u2019s rise didn\u2019t go unnoticed either. Even as players moved on from Tennessee, his journey became a rallying point for the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coolest thing is when guys come back to work out or train with us, or see a game,\u201d Vitello said. \u201cBut second place to that is us being able to follow them and see them. We don\u2019t get to look at box scores every day \u2026 but when it\u2019s news that\u2019s as loud or as exciting as it was with Drew, it kind of captivated the whole underbelly of our stadium for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the kind of ripple effect Gilbert creates – from college dugouts to major league clubhouses. And now, Vitello doesn\u2019t have to follow from afar. He\u2019s right there for the next chapter, watching a player he knows better than most try to carve out his place in the big leagues.<\/p>\n
If Gilbert keeps playing with the same edge and emotion he\u2019s always had, it\u2019s not just Giants fans who\u2019ll be paying attention – the entire league might want to take note.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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