Grady Sizemore to Return to Chicago White Sox Coaching Staff After Serving as Interim Skipper

After stewarding the White Sox in the wake of Pedro Grifol's firing, Grady Sizemore is back on the staff of new manager Will Venable.

Chicago White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore (24) smiles before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs at Guaranteed Rate Field on Aug 9. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Most of the Chicago White Sox coaches, including Grady Sizemore, are reportedly set to return to the organization on the staff of first-year manager Will Venable.

The Chicago Sun-Times (subscription required) had the information, with additional information available via MLBTradeRumors:

Hitting coach Marcus Thames, pitching coach Ethan Katz, assistant pitching coach Matt Wise, first base coach Jason Bourgeois, third base coach Justin Jirschele, and catching coach Drew Butera are all expected to return.  Grady Sizemore will also return to the coaching staff after serving as Chicago’s interim manager when Pedro Grifol was fired in early August....

It's good to see Sizemore return even though he was not hired for the manager's job in a permanent capacity. He led the team to a 13-32 record over the final 45 games of the year. The White Sox went just 41-121, setting the Modern Era record for losses, so Sizemore's performance was actually quite good given the circumstances. Furthermore, the players seem to respond positively to his good nature in the clubhouse.

As a player, Sizemore spent 10 years in the big leagues with Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston and Tampa Bay. He's certainly known most for his eight productive seasons with the Indians. He was a three-time All-Star with Cleveland who also won two Gold Glove Awards and a Silver Slugger. He received MVP votes in four different seasons.

Unfortunately, injuries derailed his career as he missed all of 2012 and 2013. Those were his age 29 and 30 seasons. He had previously been limited to fewer than 81 games in both 2010 and 2011.

Lifetime, he was a .265 hitter with exactly 150 home runs.

As for Venable, he was part of the Rangers staff that brought a World Series to Texas in 2023. In addition to his work with the Rangers, he's also coached with the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. He interviewed for multiple managerial openings over the last several years before landing with the White Sox. He's just 42 years old.

As a player, Venable spent nine years in the big leagues (2008-2016), playing with the Padres, Rangers and Dodgers. He spent parts of eight years with San Diego and is most known for his career there. 

An outfielder, he was a lifetime .249 hitter with 81 homers, 307 RBI and 135 stolen bases. He stole more than 20 bags in four separate seasons and hit a career-high 22 homers in 2013.

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