DENVER -- Tony Vitello’s primary focus is managing the Giants’ big league club, but he hasn’t stopped keeping tabs on a few rising prospects in the organization that he coached at the University of Tennessee.
Chief among them is shortstop Gavin Kilen, the Giants’ 2025 first-round Draft pick and No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Kilen has emerged as a standout at High-A Eugene this year, batting .289 with an .832 OPS, nine home runs and 63 RBIs over 73 games.
Those impressive numbers earned him two notable accolades this week, as he was named the Northwest League Player of the Week on Monday before being selected to represent the Giants at the 2026 All-Star Futures Game on Wednesday.
Kilen’s success isn’t much of a surprise to Vitello, who got to watch the 22-year-old infielder hone his elite bat-to-ball skills during his junior season at Tennessee in 2025.
“It was pretty cool, and I think a little bit of that has to do with how he finished going into the break,” Vitello said Friday. “He really got things rolling at the start, hit a little bit of a lull, and then as of late has really picked things up. Like we talked [about] with [fellow Tennessee alum] Drew [Gilbert], it's a little different. You want to make sure those guys are behaving [and] representing themselves the way that they should.
“The one thing I think fans will get familiar with is the way he plays. It's what we want in the organization. Some guys wear it on their sleeve a little bit more, but he's a silent assassin out there. He's a killer when he's playing. He's very sure of himself, and he wants to win. That'll be a game that's viewed by many -- an extra little bonus, an early glimpse for Giants fans.”
