New Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable is revealing why he took the position. Venable says it wasn’t hard to say yes to the Chicago job, in an interview with Foul Territory.
“A no-brainer for me”
New @whitesox Manager Will Venable talks about why he took the job pic.twitter.com/tHTEukzSVb
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 19, 2024
“We were in Chicago, we absolutely love Chicago,” Venable said. “Just factoring those things in, and looking at the opportunity with this player group…..it was a no-brainer to take the interview.”
Venable added that he was impressed that the White Sox players didn’t give up competing during a very difficult 2024 season. Venable takes the job over from Grady Sizemore, who served as interim manager. Chicago had a miserable campaign, losing 121 games.
The White Sox are desperate to find success once again
Chicago has undergone back-to-back losing seasons, with more than 100 defeats both times. The franchise hit rock bottom in 2024, posting a miserable 41-121 record. Chicago won the fewest road games of any team in Major League Baseball, and set a franchise record for consecutive losses.
Venable will have to figure out a way to turn that around. He takes over from both Sizemore and Pedro Grifol, who got fired mid-way through the season. Chicago has some young talent in pitcher Garrett Crochet, and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. The White Sox must rebuild through their farm system and spend some money in free agency.
The White Sox are already making moves. Chicago signed free agent outfielder Austin Slater, who spent 2024 with three different teams. He finished the season with the Baltimore Orioles, and hit .246 with the club. Slater picked up 18 runs batted in in 2024, and will need to perform more consistently to help Chicago in 2025.
Venable has never been a MLB manager, but has worked as a coach for the Texas Rangers, where he won a World Series. He’s also coached for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. Venable played in the outfield in MLB, and spent time playing with the San Diego Padres, Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I just really realized it was a no-brainer opportunity for me,” Venable added, when speaking about why he chose to lead the worst franchise in baseball currently.
There’s some good news for the White Sox. It wasn’t that long ago when the team was actually doing very well. In 2022, the club finished 81-81. A year before that, Chicago actually won the AL Central Division. The White Sox also earned a Wild Card berth in the 2020 American League playoffs.
Time will tell if the White Sox are able to dig themselves out of the gutter for the 2025 season.
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