The Chicago White Sox have reportedly found their next manager: 52-year-old Pedro Grifol, who has been on the Kansas City Royals coaching staff since 2013. According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the White Sox are expected to announce the hiring of Grifol late this week.
— Bob Nightengale Grifol, 52, is a baseball lifer. He played catcher as a Miami high schooler and then for the Seminoles at Florida State University. He was drafted by the Twins in 1991 which kicked off a nine-year minor league career. He began managing in the minors shortly after his playing career ended, then began working for the Seattle Mariners their minor league instruction coordinator.
This hire marks a sharp departure for the White Sox in one specific area: previous connection to the team. For nearly two decades, the White Sox have hired managers with previous connections to the team. Their past four managers, Ozzie Guillen, Robin Ventura, Rick Renteria, and Tony La Russa, had either played for, coached, or managed the team before being hired as the manager. Grifol has absolutely zero previous connection to the White Sox, so he'll be going in completely fresh.
The White Sox won 93 games under La Russa in 2021, and made it to the playoffs before being eliminated in the ALDS. But the 2022 team was nothing like that. Between injuries, inconsistent play, La Russa's puzzling managerial decisions, and the reportedly deteriorating relationship between La Russa and his clubhouse, the 2022 White Sox never had a chance. They finished 81-81, a distant second place in the AL Central.
La Russa left the team in late in the season due to a medical issue and was replaced by bench coach Miguel Cairo, who managed the team for the rest of the season. As The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported, for the 2023 season. It's not known if now-former interim manager Cairo, who was reportedly popular among players, is among them.
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