Three-time Manager of the Year Joe Maddon recently came under fire for his criticism of the Giants’ move of hiring Tony Vitello as its new skipper. In an interview at the Murph & Markus show yesterday, the veteran labeled Vitello’s appointment as “insulting” due to the fact that the new Giants manager became the first to transition from a collegiate program directly to MLB.
The World Series-winning manager also provided context that unlike Vitello, he had to learn the ropes and even cited his time starting as a scout in the 1980s before landing a job as a permanent skipper in 2006. Due to his scathing comments, Maddon drew flak from fans on social media for his take on the hiring.
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Maddon started his career in management way back in 1981 as a scout and a manager for the Angels‘ minor league affiliates. He would be put as an interim skipper in 1996 and 1999 for the organization before landing a managerial gig with the Rays in 2006.
Highly-regarded as one of the more “outside-the-box” thinkers, he would move to the Cubs in 2015 and be instrumental in breaking the club’s World Series curse the following year. Due to this, fan expressed disappointment about how Maddon viewed Vitello’s hiring given that he’s more associate as a progressive thinker when it comes to the sport.
In spite of his judgment about the expedited appointment of Livello, Maddon went on to say that he wishes the new skipper well and believes that he will do great in the majors.
Giants make historic managerial hiring
For the first time in MLB history, an organization has hired a skipper straight out of the collegiate ranks. The distinction was given to 47-year-old Tony Livello on October 22, 2025 as he was named as the replacement to the outgoing Bob Melvin as the manager of the Giants.
While direct hires from collegiate teams are unusual in MLB, it has been a common practice in the NBA and NFL for years now. Vitello’s most recent managerial gig came as the leader of the Tennessee Volunteers baseball program.
Upon his appointment in 2017, the young skipper was successful in turning one of the middle of the pack programs in the country to a sheer dominance in the SEC and eventually, the College World Series. During his time with the Vols, Vitello led the squad to three CWS appearances, including a championship title in 2024 against Texas A&M.
Edited by Daniel Santiago
