Tony Vitello’s Hiring ‘Insulting’ In Eyes of World Series Champion Joe Maddon

Joe Maddon, a World Series champion, wishes Tony Vitello well has his reasons for calling his hiring ‘insulting.’

Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon (70) on the field before the game against the Texas Rangers at Angel Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

It was hard to determine if former MLB manager Joe Maddon was a fan of the San Francisco Giants hiring Tony Vitello as manager.

During an appearance on “Murph and Markus” on KNBR radio, Maddon talked about the Vitello hiring. In a two-minute audio clip, the former Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels manager called the hiring “insulting,” wished Vitello “the best of luck” and said lamented what he called society’s lack of “prerequisites” for many jobs.

It isn’t hard to understand why Maddon might be frustrated by Vitello’s ascent to a Major League without any pro experience when one considers that it took Maddon 25 years in pro baseball to get his first managerial gig.

What Joe Maddon Said About Tony Vitello’s Hiring

D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The clip started with Maddon calling the hiring “insulting,” but with context.

"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,” Maddon said. “Because when I was coming up you had to have all that. You had to go through the minor leagues, you had to ride the buses. I was a scout. I started in 1981. I finally got a managerial job in 2006. I mean there was a rite of passage, a method to get to that point. So, to think that somebody could just jump in there and do what you, which took 20-some years to be considered qualified to do, it is kind of insulting.”

"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

Maddon went on to talk about wishing Vitello nothing but the best, especially after he did a little research on the 47-year-old Tennessee coach.

“Now having said that the next part is, I wish him nothing but the best.” Maddon said. Because I watched videos of the guy and I could actually understand why it's perceived that he's ready to do something like this.”

That led to the 71-year-old’s discussion on today’s prerequisites for jobs in society, not just baseball.

“So, I guess the overarching point is in today's world prerequisites to get jobs of this caliber, even jobs like the Mayor of New York City, now it doesn't require the years of experience that you may have had to have gone through in the past,” he said. “I think communication skills, perceived leadership skills, those are the kind of things that are become more valid or important and not necessarily having a kind of internal knowledge, working knowledge of the craft at hand, which would be Major League Baseball. … So it's just it's not just baseball, it permeates the entire world right now.”

Maddon managed 17 seasons in the Majors with a record of 1,382-1216. He led the Rays to the 2008 American League pennant and the Chicago Cubs to the 2016 World Series title, ending the franchise’ 100-plus year drought without a championship. He last managed with the Angels in 2022.

Vitello is a break-the-mold hire and an aggressive step by president of baseball operations Buster Posey to get the franchise back to the playoffs.

Vitello takes over the Giants after spending eight seasons at Tennessee, where he spent eight seasons rebuilding the Volunteers into one of the best baseball programs in NCAA Division I. That reached a zenith in 2024 when he guided Tennessee to 60 wins and the Men’s College World Series championship in 2024. He also took the program to the MCWS in 2021 and 2023. He also led the program to two SEC regular-season and tournament championships.