Former Padres Outfielder Joins MLB's Worst Team as Manager

Maren Angus-Coombs | Oct 30, 2024

May 24, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Justin Upton (10) is greeted at home plate by first baseman Yangervis Solarte (26), right fielder Matt Kemp (27) and center fielder Will Venable (25) after hitting a grand slam in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox are preparing to hire Will Venable as their new manager, according to multiple reports.

Venable joins the White Sox after spending the last two seasons as the associate manager for the Texas Rangers under Bruce Bochy, where he celebrated winning a World Series title in 2023.

He has a solid background as a former outfielder, having played nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the Rangers, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008-16.

This marks his first opportunity to manage at the big league level.

The White Sox finished the 2024 season with a disappointing record of 41-121, setting the record for the most losses in modern baseball history. Following a franchise-record 21-game losing streak, the team decided to part ways with manager Pedro Grifol in August. Grady Sizemore took over as interim manager, concluding the season with a 13-32 record. However, general manager Chris Getz made it clear in August that current staff members would not be considered for the full-time manager position.

“I think it’s important to bring in a new voice, a fresh voice, perhaps that’s been exposed to areas of this game that we don’t currently have in our organization,” Getz said at the time. “I’m very curious to learn more about some of these individuals and then we’ll get it to the finish line and name the next manager.”

Before his tenure with the Rangers, Venable was part of the coaching staff for the Cubs from 2018-20 and the Boston Red Sox from 2021-22. He initially joined the Cubs as a special assistant to baseball operations in Sept. 2017. He then served as the team’s first-base coach from 2018-19 and moved to the role of third-base coach in 2020.

Venable spent the majority of his playing career with the San Diego Padres before being traded to the Rangers in 2015 and finishing with the Dodgers in 2016. Throughout his 967 games, he achieved a batting average of .249 and hit 81 home runs while exclusively playing in the outfield.

As the 42nd manager in franchise history, Venable was chosen from a diverse pool of candidates, including Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz, Padres special assistant A.J. Ellis, Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCullough, and Sizemore, who was well-liked by players during his interim stint.

MLB.com’s Scott Merkin was the first to report the news, but the White Sox have yet to make an official comment.