Tony Vitello reacts to Drew Gilbert's selection in 2022 MLB Draft

Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello gave analysis for the MLB Network’s draft broadcast. That included reacting to Tennessee outfielder Drew Gilbert being drafted no. 28 in the first round by the Houston Astros.

“He loves his teammates and I texted a couple of freshmen and I said what was it like to play with him,” said Tony Vitello. “They said they took to his leadership. Again, it’s hard to put into words and not get emotional, but this is a phenomenal kid.”

“Usually when you have a guy that plays like Ty Cobb on the field, he acts like a maniac off the field. He could not be a better, nicer kid. And he’s got a lot of people that don’t like him in the country, but if you ask guys on Team USA that played with him and got to be around him every day. Because they come from all over–I guarantee they all love him and they loved to go to battle with him.”

Drew Gilbert played three seasons at Tennessee, improving with each year. 2022, his best season, saw Gilbert bat for a .362 batting average with 11 home runs. Tony Vitello was his coach throughout his time with Tennessee and has held that role since 2018.

While the Volunteers won the SEC in 2022, they were upset in the Super Regionals by Notre Dame. A big reason why they lost that series was that Drew Gilbert was ejected for arguing balls and strikes. That ejection led to a suspension for Gilbert as well.

The slot value for Gilbert’s selection is $2,620,400. Reportedly, he has already signed with the Astros.

On3’s Wade Peery contributed to this article, transcribing quotes from Tony Vitello.