The Chicago White Sox have decided who will take over a dugout that just experienced one of the worst seasons in MLB history.
The team is hiring former MLB outfielder Will Venable, currently the associate manager of the Texas Rangers behind Bruce Bochy, as their next manager, MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reports. Venable will replace Pedro Grifol, who was fired in August.
The news broke Tuesday night, on Venable’s birthday. It also broke right after the New York Yankees’ Game 4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, so never let it be said the White Sox didn’t make headlines during the 2024 Fall Classic.
Venable, 42, played 967 games across nine years with the San Diego Padres, Rangers and Dodgers over a nine-year MLB career, building a reputation as a great clubhouse presence even when he was just working as a fourth outfielder.
After his playing days came to an end, Venable joined the Chicago Cubs as special assistant to then-team president Theo Epstein. The next three seasons he served as a base coach for the team. In 2021, Venable was a bench coach for the Boston Red Sox, then joined Bochy’s Rangers staff in 2022.
He became a World Series champion in 2023 when the Rangers won the Commissioner’s Trophy for the first time in franchise history.
What can Will Venable do for the White Sox?
Venable won’t find such a warm start in Chicago, to say the least.
We don’t need to run through every little ignominy the White Sox suffered in 2024, but it boils down to losing the most games in MLB history with a 41-121 record, with three losing streaks of at least 12 games. One of those was 21 games long, tying an AL record.
Every facet of the White Sox was a disaster in 2024. Their lineup? It scoredd the fewest runs in MLB with 507, nearly 100 fewer than the next-worst Miami Marlins. Their baserunning? Bottom 10 in the league by Fangraphs’ baserunning runs metric. Their rotation? It ranked 25th in MLB in ERA at 4.62, despite two good arms in Garrett Crochet and Erick Fedde. Their bullpen? Third worst in MLB at 4.73. Their fielding? Dead last in defensive runs saved with minus-87.
So Venable is going to have a lot of work to do, but he can also only do so much when the people most responsible for that 2024 season are still in place. Jerry Reinsdorf still owns this team and almost certainly can’t be expected to spend the money it would take to turn them into a regular contender, and general manager Chris Getz has been a key part of the team’s front office since 2017.
Still, Venable can do some good just by maintaining a positive clubhouse as the team braces for another rebuilding year.
