Who is Will Venable? Know all about the ex-coach of Cubs, Red Sox & Rangers poised to lead White Sox following the disastrous 2024 season
The Chicago White Sox has named Will Venable as their new manager. Venable is set to replace caretaker manager Grady Sizemore after he took over from Pedro Grifol.
Venable played in the majors as an outfielder from 2008 to 2016. He spent most of his playing career with the San Diego Padres. He also had stints with the Texas Rangers and LA Dodgers.
Venable first held an administrative position when Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein hired him as his special assistant in 2017. The following year, he was named as the team's first base coach and held the position until 2019. In the pandemic-shortened season, he transitioned to third-base coach.
Venable transferred to the Boston Red Sox ahead of the 2021 campaign to be their bench coach. He got a rare managing opportunity as he was in charge of the team's May 29 win against the Miami Marlins as then-skipper Alex Cora was absent due to a family event.
In November 2022, Will Venable signed with the Texas Rangers as an associate manager to assist Bruce Bochy. The duo led the team to its first-ever World Series title.
On Tuesday, the White Sox made it official that Venable will return to Chicago after naming him the 44th skipper in team history.
Chicago White Sox's most infamous season for the ages
Dubbed by the media as "the worst season in modern MLB history," the Chicago White Sox finished the 2024 season with a 41-121 record. They started with a 3-22 record, which was the worst of the wild card era, and it was all downhill for the team.
The team had the most losses in league history before the All-Star break with 71. It also had a 21-game losing streak in the middle of the campaign. This forced the management to fire Grifol on Aug. 8 and was replaced with Grady Sizemore.
The season ended with the Southsiders recording the most losses in MLB history and the worst win-loss percentage since the league shifted to its 162-game format.