Reports: Former Padre Venable Tasked with Turning Around WoebeGone White Sox
The White Sox have hired former Padre Will Venable as manager, asking the former big leaguer to help turn around the team after a miserable season.
The White Sox have hired former Padre Will Venable to take over as manager, asking the former big league outfielder to help turn around the team after a miserable season.
Though the franchise hasn’t announced the move, two people with direct knowledge of the decision confirmed the choice to the Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.
Venable, who turned 42 Tuesday, is stepping in for Pedro Grifol, who was fired in August with the White Sox on their way to breaking the modern major league record for most losses in a season.
With Grady Sizemore serving as interim manager, the club finished with a 41-121 record.
The White Sox are hiring Will Venable as their new manager, per @scottmerkin pic.twitter.com/Ffz27IYwht— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 30, 2024
Venable was an associate manager for Texas for the past two years. He handled the daily schedule and outfield instruction as part of his duties with the Rangers, who won the World Series in 2023.
Venable played baseball and basketball while studying anthropology at Princeton. He was an all-Ivy League performer in each sport.
He was selected by San Diego in the seventh round of the 2005 amateur draft. The outfielder played for the Padres for eight years, from 2008-15, then had brief stints with the Rangers and Dodgers, hitting .249 with 81 homers, 307 RBIs and 135 steals in 967 games.
After his playing career ended, Venable joined the Cubs’ front office in September 2017 as a special assistant. He also was on the team’s major league staff for three years, spending two seasons as the first base coach and one as the third base coach.
Venable also was the bench coach for Red Sox manager Alex Cora for two years before joining the Rangers.
Venable comes from an athletic family. His father, Max, played parts of 12 seasons in the majors, and also was a minor league manager and coach. Will’s brother, Winston, played college football at Boise State and appeared in 12 games with the Chicago Bears during the 2011 season.
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