Rafael Devers situation puts Tony Vitellos leadership to test

SAN FRANCISCO — Outside the visitors’ clubhouse in Miami this past Sunday, in front of the temporary backdrop the Giants’ PR department hauls with them on the road, I was struck by a sense of deja vu.There was Tony Vitello, giving almost an identical answer to a similar question I had asked a little over a month earlier.How, as a first-year manager, would he hold to account one of his highly paid, highly prideful Giants veteran leaders very publicly misbehaving?What Rafael Devers did in the ninth inning of the loss to the Marlins was a little different than Willy Adames’ embarrassing act in Los Angeles.

You can debate the merits for which was worse: Paying more attention to a conversation with Mookie Betts than the number of outs, or trying to shoo away a teammate and at least giving the perception of undermining his manager.In neither case did it set the example a team should want from two of its most important players, whose performance has earned them no benefit of the doubt, to boot.Both times, Vitello passed on the chance to air them out publicly.Did he feel the need to talk to Devers after he tried to refuse to come out of the game for a pinch-runner, despite being both the tying run and the slowest runner on the Giants’ roster?“No, we talk every day,” Vitello said.“I’m good.

… I don’t have any problem with Rafi.”Back in May, in the underbelly of Dodger Stadium, in front of the same small, black backdrop, I asked Vitello if he felt he needed to take any actions to hold Adames accountable for the brainfart that resulted in him getting doubled up at second base in a loss to their chief rivals.“As far as?” the manager responded.Earlier, he had opted to defend Adames.“There’s no sense in dwelling on it,” he said.“We all know Willy.

He’s always intense.He’s always going to play with high energy.

He’s always going to play aggressively.I don’t know if that played into it.”One of the biggest questions when Buster Pose...