Sergio Santos named manager of the Triple-A Charlotte Knights

The post Sergio Santos named manager of the Triple-A Charlotte Knights appeared first on Sox On 35th.

A former White Sox player is climbing the managerial ladder within the organization.

Sergio Santos has been named the new manager of the Triple-A Charlotte Knights ahead of the 2025 season. Santos replaces Justin Jirschele, who will remain on the major league staff after serving as the Knights skipper over the past two seasons.

Santos, 41, enters his second season as a manager in the White Sox system after leading the Double-A Birmingham Barons in 2024. The former White Sox reliever brought immediate success to the Magic City, guiding his team to a first-half division title with a 41-28 record. The Barons finished their campaign with a 72-66 record and a Southern League Championship victory over the Montgomery Biscuits. Having also won the 2022 Florida Coast League championship with the Yankees organization, Santos has now reached the championship round of the postseason in all three seasons as a skipper. He owns a 180-145 career record in that span.

With his appointment as Charlotte’s 26th manager, Santos also becomes the fourth former Knights player to lead the team. The other three to have achieved the feat include Joel Skinner, Nick Capra, and Justin Jirschele.

“Skinner, the all-time winningest manager in franchise history, played for the Knights in 1994 and managed the club for four seasons from 2012-2015. Capra played for the Knights in 1995 and managed the team for three seasons from 2002-2004. Jirschele played for the Knights from 2014-15 and managed the club for nearly two seasons (2023-24). Veteran MLB infielder Pat Listach took over as Knights manager last season (August 8, 2024) when Jirschele was promoted to the White Sox as the team’s third base coach, a position Jirschele will return to with the White Sox this season.”

_{via Charlotte Knights/Press Release}

In a recent article by MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, it was revealed that Santos has already been in touch with White Sox manager Will Venable. The two are working together to provide the same messaging from the top down through the rest of the organization, a simple but welcomed site given the recent dysfunction inside the organization. Santos interviewed for the managerial opening that eventually went to Venable, and will now have the chance to continue building what is turning into an impressive résumé while overseeing some of the league’s top prospects.

The Knights announced in a press release that the rest of their 2025 coaching staff will be announced at a later date.

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Featured Photo: MiLB/Twitter

The post Sergio Santos named manager of the Triple-A Charlotte Knights appeared first on Sox On 35th.