The post 10 interesting candidates to be the next manager of the Chicago White Sox appeared first on Sox On 35th.
Well, as of today, the White Sox will be looking for a new manager – less than two years after naming their last manager. Pedro Grifol is out, and for now, Charlie Montoyo is (assumedly) in.
Getz hasn’t revealed too much about the process for finding the team’s next manager just yet, but it’s fair to assume the search process begins immediately and likely won’t conclude until after the season when more managerial candidates might become available. That won’t stop the speculation from beginning, however.
It feels like I didn’t write an article like this too long ago. In my review of the last two articles I put together before Pedro Grifol was selected, I picked some good and relevant names :
- Bruce Bochy, Matt Quatraro, and Joe Espada are all current managers (Texas, Kansas City, Houston)
- Skip Schumaker was an “outside the box” candidate who became the Marlins manager
- Marcus Thomas was an “outside the box” candidate who eventually became the White Sox hitting coach
- Ron Washington was an “outside the box” candidate who became the Angels’ manager
So, I’m not saying I’m good at this, but I am saying I *might* be good at finding managerial candidates.
Here’s how I broke this down: there are, of course, the rumored candidates that we will start with. From there, we will find some other interesting candidates that are either lesser known or lesser named that could be good fits for the White Sox. This list will of course expand after the season and as rumors begin to swirl, but here’s at least a place to start.
Let’s begin
Rumored Candidates
Skip Schumaker
Current Position: Miami Marlins Manager
We start with the individual most connected to the White Sox in recent rumors about their managerial opening. With the Marlins selling at the Trade Deadline and new GM Peter Bendix working with a manager whom he did not hire, Schumaker’s expiring contract likely means he will be looking for a new team to coach next season.
An 11-year major league veteran, Schumaker has coached with the Padres and Cardinals since the 2018 season. From 2018-2019, Schumaker was the first base coach for the Padres, and from 2020-2021, he served as the associate manager for the club. He joined St. Louis as their bench coach prior to the 2022 season and left to become the Marlins’ manager over the past two seasons.
Schumaker is also well-connected to one important person within the White Sox organization: Tony La Russa. In a previous Sunday Notebook, USA TODAY reporter Bob Nightengale had the following to say about Schumaker’s potential connection to the White Sox:
“While Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol’s future is uncertain past this season, one name that is floating around internally as a potential replacement in 2025 is Skip Schumaker, manager of the Miami Marlins. Schumaker, the reigning NL manager of the year, played seven years in St. Louis for Tony La Russa, who will be an integral part of the decision-making process.”– Bob Nightengale (via USA Today)
This isn’t the first time Schumaker’s name has popped up either, as previous reports have connected him to the White Sox – in addition, the White Sox reportedly did interview him during the same cycle in which they hired Grifol. La Russa’s blessing and connection carries the most weight of anything here, however, considering Schumaker spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Cardinals.
With Schumaker, the White Sox would get a former player with recent managerial experience. By all accounts, it doesn’t appear to be a lack of knowledge that is leading Schumaker to likely be available this offseason. If he is, expect the White Sox to be among the teams that call.
A.J. Pierzynski
Current Position: FOX MLB Analyst and Host of Foul Territory
Pierzynski, 47, spent eight of his 19 career MLB seasons with the White Sox, slashing .279/.318/.424 over that period. Well-known for being either well-liked or quite hated, Pierzynski would bring a personality that fans were drawn to (and are still drawn to) during his time in Chicago.
Pierzynski’s credentials are solely on the field, as he has no managerial nor coaching experience at the major league nor minor league level. He’s spent his entire post-playing career in the broadcast booth. Pierzynski was hired by Fox to be an analyst for the 2011 MLB postseason on the pregame and postgame show. He joined Fox again for the 2012, 2013, and 2015 postseasons. In 2017, Fox announced he would be a full-time analyst.
Because of his recent critical comments about the White Sox on his Foul Territory show and likely many others, on top of recent comments stating he’s had no conversations about being the team’s next manager, it would appear to be a bit odd to see Pierzynski in charge of the dugout come next season. For now, however, consider Pierzynski a true candidate for the job, given that the last time anyone shrugged off a Bob Nightengale report on a White Sox managerial opening, he happened to be the only person correct about Tony La Russa.m
Sergio Santos
Current Position: Birmingham Barons (AA) Manager
While not necessarily the most talked about rumored candidate, Santos’ work with the Birmingham Barons has put his name on the map in some circles regarding his status within the White Sox organization and its fanbase. If you don’t believe me, search “Sergio Santos White Sox” on Twitter and see how many fans want him to be the team’s 2025 manager.
The Barons will be making the playoffs for the first time since 2013 due to their strong first half. This is when the buzz began to develop surrounding Santos, who is in his second season of coaching (his first was with the Yankees’ High-A affiliate in 2023). However, with the Barons just 11-19 to start the second half of the season, perhaps some of the early-season buzz has worn off. Having just two seasons of coaching experience – and neither coming at the major league level – should also be a reason for pause, as it would place more emphasis on the staff Santos and the White Sox hire around him.
Regardless, despite the lack of a long coaching track record, look for Santos to remain among those considered for, at the very least, a major league coaching position when this is all said and done.
Terry Francona
Current Position: Former 23-year MLB Manager
Terry Francona’s potential connection to the White Sox comes after 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine floated the idea on the air about a month ago, as Francona might be considering getting back into managing once again following his health-related retirement last season. For what it’s worth, outside of Bruce Levine’s report, there have been no other reports stating that the 65-year-old is looking to get out of retirement heading into the 2025 season.
For some, a manager that the White Sox never should’ve let leave the organization being brought back to “right a wrong” even amongst some health concerns shouldn’t sound all that foreign to White Sox fans, given their recent managerial history. However, the difference between Francona (age 65) and Tony La Russa (age 79) is rather drastic, as is the difference in the amount of time they stepped away from the game. However, the reason Francona might not want to come back into the game would be the same as La Russa’s: why bother tarnishing your legacy for a team? Especially in Francona’s case, for a team that is nowhere near competing at the level you would expect for a future Hall of Fame manager?
Terry Francona is the best
pic.twitter.com/LvGmNKhx78
— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) August 6, 2023
Should Francona decide he wants to Bruce Bochy this and try to be the man to turn around a recently frustrated franchise, most fans would probably be all for it. He’ll just need *checks notes* about $600M in guaranteed contracts to at least get the White Sox close to the Rangers route.
Other Interesting Candidates
None of these next candidates have any connection to the White Sox’ managerial opening at this point. Picking “outside the box” or “interesting” candidates is always difficult, but many of these candidates were picked with one thing in particular kept in mind: Chris Getz seems to want to surround himself and the organization with former major leaguers. Many of the candidates in this section have that background.
Don Kelly
Current Position: Pittsburgh Pirates Bench Coach
Kelly has been a major league coach since 2019 after the end of his playing days in 2016. He started as a scout and assistant on the player development staff for the Detroit Tigers, one of several teams he played for in the big leagues. He was promoted to being a major league scout for the Tigers before leaving to become the Astros’ first base coach before the 2019 season. He has served in his current role as a bench coach for the Pirates since 2020.
A career .230 hitter across parts of nine major league seasons with the Pirates (2007), Tigers (2009-2014), and Marlins (2015-16), Kelly’s staying power was his defensive ability and versatility. He has been interviewed for managerial openings in the past, including the Mets before hitting Carlos Mendoza. He would check the box of having major league baseball playing experience while also seeing additional coaching experience with multiple major league organizations. With the Pirates a team that relies on strong scouting and player development, rather than winning via a high payroll, Kelly’s experience could be an additional benefit as Chris Getz tries to build a new standard for White Sox baseball that seems heavily reliant on development.
Clayton McCullough
Current Position: Los Angeles Dodgers First Base Coach
This offseason, McCullough interviewed for the Cleveland Guardians job that ultimately went to Stephen Vogt. He was also interviewed for positions before the 2023 season, including the Mets and the Royals.
#Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCullough is mic’d up for batting practice before a game against the Giants on tonight’s all-new #BackstageDodgers after our post-game coverage.
pic.twitter.com/V0pbG7hU0D
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) June 4, 2021
The 44-year-old was drafted in the 22nd round by the Cleveland Guardians in 2002 after attending East Carolina University. He only spent a few seasons in pro ball before transitioning to his post-playing career, starting out as a volunteer assistant coach for his alma mater. From there, he worked his way up, serving as a manager for the Blue Jays’ rookie and A-ball affiliates from 2007-2014, during which he compiled a 629-559 record. He then began his time in the Dodgers’ organization, serving in various roles over his first seven seasons, including a stint as the team’s minor league field coordinator while also overseeing the team’s alternate site at the University of Southern California during the 2020 COVID season. He became the team’s first base coach prior to the 2021 season and has remained in that role up to today.
McCullough has also worked with new White Sox Miguel Vargas extensively on his defense, according to Vargas.
McCullough has been considered rather impressive in previous managerial interviews with some “impressive” personal touches, with Dodgers beat writers believing his departure for the Guardians’ job last offseason was “inevitable.” Though he doesn’t come with major league playing or managing experience, some MLB team is likely on the verge of hiring a very hot name in McCullough away from the Dodgers organization. It would stand to reason that the White Sox could certainly benefit from someone with his vast coaching experience in an organization worth modeling.
Rodney Linares
Current Position: Tampa Bay Rays Bench Coach
With the first three names in this part of the list, you should be sensing a common theme: looking for candidates from winning organizations. Linares, 46, and his five years of experience at the major league level with the Rays as a coach certainly fit that theme.
Linares got his coaching career started at the age of just 21 back in 1999 with the Houston Astros. The son of Dominican baseball player Julio Linares, he spent two decades as a coach and manager within the Astros organization. After becoming a manager in the Astro organization in 2007, Linares oversaw the development of such players as José Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa, J. D. Martinez, and George Springer. He has managed at nearly every minor league level, including two Manager of the Year awards in 2013 (High-A) and 2015 (Double-A).
Linares was hired away from the Astros prior to the 2019 season to serve as the Rays’ third base coach. He was promoted to bench coach prior to the 2023 season after previous bench coach Matt Quatraro left to become the Royals’ manager.
Linares’ multiple decades of experience in coaching for two incredibly successful organizations means his time in the manager’s chair is not too far away. Based on some previous journalism calling him a “rising star” for the work he’s put in during frustrating situations as a manager, if he were willing to start anew with an organization that screams “frustration,” the White Sox may be the perfect project for Linares.
David Ross
Current Position: Former Chicago Cubs Manager
Here we return to the former major leaguer part of this list with a familiar face in Chicago.
My personal opinion remains that I’m not sure David Ross deserved to be fired following the 2023 season from the Cubs. It’s a bit shocking to me that he was not picked up by another organization, though according to Ken Rosenthal, Ross turned down an interview to be the bench coach of the Yankees. His preference was to either become a manager again right away or remain out of baseball for a year. I would expect things to change following this season given Jon Lester’s recent comments to the Chicago Tribune on the topic.
In four seasons with the Cubs, Ross was 262-284, leading them to just one playoff appearance. Ross at times was considered one who struggled with bullpen management – though, it appears this is something that every manager struggles with from time to time, given that they don’t have the fortunate ability to utilize hindsight as fans do. At the same time, he was praised for his ability to help create a team identity – something that Pedro Grifol claimed has been important, but has struggled mightily with, unless the goal was to re-create the “Hitless Wonders.”
The Cubs’ original choice to hire Ross, while questionable at the time, wasn’t necessarily without its positives. With four years of major league managing experience, he remains qualified for another job and perhaps will have learned a thing or two that he can apply the second time through as a manager. He wouldn’t necessarily be my top option, but I wouldn’t be opposed to him either.
Gabe Kapler
Current Position: Miami Marlins Assistant General Manager
Across six seasons as an MLB manager, Kapler has gone 456-411 with both the Phillies and Giants. Before becoming a manager, he spent time as the director of player development for the Los Angeles Dodgers and was considered for the Dodgers’ managerial opening before they hired Dave Roberts. He now is back in the front office with the Marlins, an area in which he has been successful in the past.
Though, he may be cut out for a front office role more than a managerial role – to his credit, also by his own admission above. Giants fans and Phillies fans alike were never particularly fond of Kapler in the dugout – though, much of this may be for the same reasons I enjoy the idea of him managing the White Sox, as his forward-thinking mindset towards the game didn’t always jive with fans. He did have a tendency to pull starters earlier than they necessarily should have been, and there were looming concerns about whether or not teams quit on him or if he fully had the clubhouse at times. However, with some of the general turmoil and lack of success this season in San Francisco, that tune has begun to change a bit.
It’s not clear if Kapler would be looking to return to the dugout, and it’s still difficult to tell just how good of a manager he truly is at this point, even with six years worth of data to review. But, a 2021 NL Manager of the Year award and six years of experience, on top of experience with one of the best teams in baseball in the Dodgers, should at least be worth an interview.
Justin Jirschele
Current Position: Charlotte Knights (AAA) Manager
Another potential internal hire, it wasn’t too long ago that Justin Jirschele was being considered among the rising stars in baseball. For whatever reason, however, it seems that Jirschele may have lost some of his early career steam within the White Sox’ organization, getting passed up at least recently by the aforementioned Sergio Santos.
This 2024 season marks JIrschele’s second as the Knights’ manager – but his seventh managing in Chicago’s organization. He made his Double-A managerial debut in 2021 with the Birmingham Barons and guided the club to a 62-56 record, falling just a half-game shy of clinching a postseason berth. In two seasons with the Barons, Jirschele posted 123 wins. Before his time with Birmingham, he managed High-A Winston-Salem (2019) and Single-A Kannapolis (2017-18). He guided Kannapolis to playoff appearances in each of his two seasons as manager. He made his coaching debut in 2016 as the hitting coach at Kannapolis, just a year after hanging up his cleats as a player.
From Knights player
to Knights manager.
Hear from our new manager Justin Jirschele ahead of Opening Knight tonight!
Opening Knight tickets: https://t.co/Xezxhb5tzf pic.twitter.com/LfcQUZztpl
— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) March 31, 2023
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic mentioned Jirschele as a potential Grifol replacement, at least through the end of the season, before the White Sox decided to go the Montoyo route. At just 34 years old and considered a “player-friendly” coach, the White Sox could do worse than giving Jirschele a chance. He could, at the very least, task Jirschele with guiding the ship in the interim if they don’t want to commit to him for the long term.
I remain of the opinion that it’s far more important to have a competent manager rather than having to strike gold with one of the two or three best ones in the game. There isn’t a manager on this planet who was helping this White Sox team be much better than they currently are – the players on the field dictate the general direction of the team, with the manager there to either help or hurt their team on the margins. This may sound like an oversimplification of the manager’s role, though it isn’t; rather, it’s an acknowledgment of the fact that no matter who the White Sox name as their next manager, the team’s issues go far beyond who is setting the lineup.
Names will continue to leak out in the coming weeks, though the White Sox won’t make a decision until at least the end of the season. This alone is a good thing, meaning they’ll take the time to see who is available before making a move.
The hope is that this next manager will be around to help steer the White Sox through the next few difficult seasons. Hopefully, this next individual is ready for an uphill battle.
Follow us @SoxOn35th for more throughout the season!
Featured Image: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The post 10 interesting candidates to be the next manager of the Chicago White Sox appeared first on Sox On 35th.