Grady Sizemore Went From Minimum Wage to Manager in Just Over a Year

Stephen Douglas | Aug 8, 2024

Feb 21, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Chicago White Sox coach Grady Sizemore poses for a photo during Media Day at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Grady Sizemore was named the interim manager of the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. This will be Sizemore's first managerial job. Sizemore retired after the 2015 season and was out of baseball as recently as 2023. That's when he asked a friend with the Arizona Diamondbacks if there were any positions available in the organization. There weren't. So he took an internship that paid $15 an hour.

He surprised everyone with this move, including the Diamondbacks. During his time as an intern he impressed Josh Barfield, the director of player development who Sizemore had played with in Cleveland. When Barfield was hired as the assistant general manager of the White Sox, Sizemore followed him and joined the coaching staff.

And now he's been charged with guiding the worst team in baseball across the finish line. Chicago is 40.5 games out of first with 45 games to go so it's unlikely he ends the season draped in glory, but he's earned his chance to be a big league manager by being willing to do things that others weren't. Fitting for the guy tasked with managing the 2024 White Sox.

Sizemore's goal should be avoiding the worst record in modern baseball history. The White Sox are currently 28-89. The need to win 39 games in order to have a better win percentage than the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics. The 1962 New York Mets' record of 120 losses in a season is also within reach.