White Sox Name Venable New Manager to Bring Them From Rock Bottom

(via The Associated Press)

The Chicago White Sox have named Will Venable to be their new manager. 

The Chisox, of course, set a modern MLB record with 121 losses in 2024. The season was split between Pedro Grifol (28-89) and Grady Sizemore (13-32). 

It is curious that the team wasn't prepared to give Sizemore more of a chance given that he was popular with the players. Despite their woeful record, the team did go 8-6 over the past two weeks of the season including wins in 5 of their last 6 games. 

In some ways, Sizemore and Venable are very similar. Both men are 42 with Venable's birthday taking place two days ago. Sizemore played in MLB for 10 seasons while Venable played in MLB for 9 seasons primarily with the San Diego Padres. Sizemore ended his playing career after the 2015 season while Venable finished his in 2016. 

The difference is that Sizemore never expected to be a big-league manager. It was only a year ago, Sizemore was a $15 an hour intern with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Whereas Venable has been groomed to a be a big-league manager. After spending part of the 2017 season in the Chicago Cubs front office, he would join the coaching staff the following year spending two seasons in the dugout followed by two seasons as a coach in the Boston Red Sox dugout before becoming associate manager of the Texas Rangers last year earning a World Series ring under Bruce Bochy's wing. It was only a matter of time before Venable was going to be hired to manage a ballclub.

It would be an understatement to say that Venable has a very tall order in front of him. It remains to be seen if the roster will warm to him as they did Sizemore. Of course, one can be a great communicator, but a manager's words go out the window after the losses start piling up. As such, what are the front office's expectations for Venable to turn the team into a contender in the AL Central? Venable has a multiyear contract, but that could mean two seasons. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is nothing if not fickle.

Then again, Will Venable is already a baseball lifer. His father, Max Venable, played in MLB for 12 seasons as well as in Japan, South Korea and in the Dominican Republic and his son went with him everywhere he went. In a sense, Will Venable has been preparing to be a big-league manager his whole life.