Will Venable Takes On Big Challenge With Woeful Chicago White Sox

Will Venable accepting the Chicago White Sox’s offer to become their manager was a surprise to many in baseball.

Venable was considered one of the top managerial candidates on the market during the last two hiring cycles. Having already established his credentials at other coaching stops, Venable’s name came to the forefront the past two years when he served as Bruce Bochy’s associate manager with the Texas Rangers.

The White Sox set a modern record for losses last season as they finished 41-121. Their prospects for significant improvement this season seem minimal as their roster is mainly filled with castoffs and unproven young players.

So, why didn’t Venable wait for a better opportunity, even if it meant holding out for another year to fill a managerial vacancy? Well, the short answer is there are just 30 manager’s jobs in Major League Baseball, and they are not easy to land.

“I just hold these roles in such high regard,” Venable, 42, said. “I know that the pool of the other candidates is strong. I know a lot of these guys personally who are out there and know the kind of people they are. Because of that, there was never any assumption or any kind of measure that I could make it. I don’t take the position I’m in as a major-league manager for granted.”

Chicago White Sox Encouraged By Young Talent

While many in baseball look at the White Sox’s job as a dead end, Venable is encouraged by the young talent on the major-league roster and in the farm system.

An example of one of those young players is right-hander Sean Burke. The 25-year-old will start on opening day against the Los Angeles Angels on March 27 despite having just four games of major-league experience and 20 days of service time.

Burke figures to be one of three pitchers with less than one year of service time who will begin the season in the rotation, joining Jonathan Cannon and Davis Martin.

The White Sox do have five players among Baseball America’ top 100 prospects list. Left-hander Noah Schultz (No. 10), who stands 6-feet-11, could start the season at Triple-A Charlotte along with shortstop Colson Montgomery (No. 39) and catcher Kyle Teel (No. 52). Left-hander Hagen Smith (No. 40) appears to be ticketed for Double-A Birmingham and outfielder Braden Montgomery (No. 66) for the Class A level.

The White Sox acquired Teel and Braden Montgomery as part of a four-player package from the Boston Red Sox in an offseason trade for star left-hander Garrett Crochet. White Sox general manager Chris Getz is looking to trade center fielder Luis Robert, Jr. for more prospects after failing to find a deal over the winter.

Will Venable Embracing The Windy City

Venable was on the Chicago Cubs’ coaching staff before joining the Rangers prior to their World Series-winning season in 2023. He enjoys the city and the fans’ fervor for baseball, which were other reasons to be attracted to taking a job in the Windy City.

“My family loves Chicago” Venable said. “I had known a little about (Getz) beforehand but then to go through the interview process, to understand his vision for this club, to see the things that he’s accomplished this year, it was really a no-brainer for me.

“The fans are passionate and they’re extremely proud of their team. I think it’s something we can all get behind and are excited about. We hope to give them something to be proud about on the field.”

Venable should get a long leash. Getz realizes the White Sox are very early in their rebuilding process.

Chicago White Sox Stressing Patience

And nobody learned how to be patient last year more than Getz, in his first full season after replacing long-time GM Rick Hahn late in the 2023 season.

‘I definitely had to take a step back, realize where were as an organization, don’t lose focus,” Getz said on handling the unprecedented losing. “When you’re watching games as regularly as we do and you keep coming up short so often, especially the way we were losing games in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings – to not be able to hold the lead or come back – it was difficult. It also provided a lot of clarity of our situation but also a reminder that we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“We definitely want to look for improvement from within,” the Chicago White Sox GM continued. “With that being said, when the time is right, we’d definitely like to add free agents. Right now, we’re really focused on getting better with our farm system, developing those players and graduating them to the big leagues, helping develop them at the big-league level.”