Will Venable will be the new manager of the Chicago White Sox. He will replace Grady Sizemore, who was the team’s interim manager this season, after taking over from the fired Pedro Grifol.
With this decision, Ozzie Guillén’s dream of returning to direct a franchise that led him to be champion in 2005, when they won the World Series, ends.
Venable spent nine seasons (2008-2016) in the Major Leagues, playing for the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers. He had a .249 batting average in 967 career games.
The White Sox are hiring Will Venable as their new manager, per @scottmerkin pic.twitter.com/Ffz27IYwht
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2024
After his time as a player, he was also on the coaching staff of the Chicago Cubs (2018-2020) and the Boston Red Sox (2021-2022).
The club ruled out other strong candidates for the job, including Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz, former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, former Angels quarterback Phil Nevin, Los Angeles bench coach Dodgers, Danny Lehmann, and Cardinals bench coach, Daniel Descalso.
The White Sox have a lot to do, after the worst season in club history, with a record of 41-121, the worst mark in the modern MLB era. Now they will have to be aggressive in the market to look for pieces that allow them to be more competitive and be able to once again opt to go to the MLB playoffs.
