Former MLB manager Joe Maddon made headlines this week after making some striking comments on the San Francisco Giants’ hiring of Tony Vitello from the University of Tennessee.
The move was unprecedented, with Vitello being the first coach in major league history to jump straight from college to the pros, but Maddon went so far as to say his hire was insulting. Maddon did say that he wished Vitello the best on his new journey, but his comments garnered quite a bit of attention on social media this past week.
“Quite frankly, I’m using the word insulting, only from the perspective that it appears as though you don’t have to have any experience on a professional level to do this job anymore,” Maddon said during an interview with KNBR. “Because, when I was coming up, you had to have all that. You had to go through the minor leagues, you had to ride your busses. I was a scout, I started in 1981, I finally get a managerial job in 2006. I mean, there was a right of passage, a method to get to that point, so to think that somebody could just jump in there and do what you took 20-something years to be considered qualified to do, it is kind of insulting.”
During an exclusive interview with The SF Standard’s John Shea, Vitello was asked about Maddon’s statement.
Vitello mentioned that Maddon was a figure that he used on the recruiting trail while building a powerhouse program on Rocky Top.
“I get it,” Vitello said about Maddon’s comments in the interview. “I just wonder if he’ll still take my call, because he was on my list of people that I wanted to call and seek out advice. There’s a couple of very specific reasons for that with his history. So I wonder if he’ll still take that call. I’ve used him as an example often in recruiting. One thing we did at Tennessee was really try to allow guys to be who they are. That kind of became our brand name, and that’s something that he did with the Cubs in particular.”
Shea’s follow-up question to Vitello revolved around whether the former collegiate champion was offended by Maddon’s comments.
“Not at the moment,” Vitello said. “Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. For me as I sit here, if it truly is an insult, then that is a segue to saying it’s not going to work. So if it doesn’t work, the Giants will be just fine. I’ll be the one that suffers in that situation. You start with, “What is going on in college baseball that can help in pro baseball?” And then you go back to college with, “Hey, this is what I learned in pro baseball.” Regardless, it’s a beneficial situation for some people in baseball, and you’re talking about a guy who’s done an enormous amount in baseball in Joe.”
Maddon is a three-time MLB Manager of the Year (2008, 2011, 2015) and led the Chicago Cubs to a World Series title in 2016.
Vitello was hired to be the manager of the San Francisco Giants on Oct. 22, 2025. He spent several years at the University of Tennessee and led the Volunteers to the National Championship title in 2024.
For a full look at Vitello’s in-depth interview with John Shea of The SF Standard, click here.
Here’s a look at Maddon’s full comments on Vitello from earlier in the week:
“I’m using the word insulting only from the perspective that it appears as though you don’t have to have any professional experience to do this job anymore… Having said that, I wish him nothing but the best.”
Joe Maddon on the unprecedented hiring of Tony Vitello via… pic.twitter.com/pS09FjlfGl
— KNBR (@KNBR) November 11, 2025
