The Chicago White Sox officially announced Will Venable as their new manager Thursday.
Venable, who turned 42 on Tuesday, has agreed to terms on a multiyear contract, the team said in a release.
The Sox plan to introduce Venable, a former MLB outfielder who has served as a coach for the Texas Rangers for the past two seasons, during a press conference starting at 11 a.m.
“Will is widely recognized as one of the premium managerial candidates within the game, and we are very excited to bring him into our organization as our new manager,” Chris Getz, White Sox senior vice president/general manager, said in a statement. “He is so well thought of across baseball. Will has built a well-earned and well-deserved reputation as a successful player, front office executive, coach and associate manager. A great communicator, Will is going to build strong relationships, set expectations, build a clubhouse where we hold one another accountable, and ultimately, create a winning mindset among our players and a winning environment in our clubhouse.”
Venable called the decision a "great opportunity with a White Sox organization that is putting a lot of good things into place and laying a solid foundation for the future."
“It’s exciting to be part of that process to help get back to the type of baseball White Sox fans are used to seeing," he said in a statement. "We want players who show up to work hard every day, but also smart baseball players who understand the nuances of the game. There is a rich tradition here and a fan base that deserves winning baseball, and I am excited to do whatever I can to help.”
Though reports had already surfaced that Venable would be the team's pick, the official announcement came at the end of the World Series.
Chicago Sports
Venable will replace Grady Sizemore, who served as the club's interim manager following the firing of Pedro Grifol on Aug. 8, who finished with an 89-190 record over the course of two seasons as the South Siders' skipper.
An MLB veteran of nine seasons, Venable played from 2008 to 2016, with 918 of his 967 big league appearances coming as a member of the San Diego Padres.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
Venable ended his playing career with with a total of 81 home runs, 307 runs batted in and 135 stolen bases with a batting line of .249/.315/.404.
Venable went on to begin his coaching career just two seasons after retiring, serving as the first base coach for the Chicago Cubs from 2018 to 2019 before moving over to third base coach for the North Siders in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
He then joined the Boston Red Sox coaching staff from 2021 to 2022 as a bench coach before taking a role of "associate manager" to Bruce Bochy with the Texas Rangers.
Venable won the World Series with the club in that role, as the Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks four games to one in the 2023 Fall Classic.
The White Sox will look to improve upon the worst record in modern MLB history in 2025, finishing the 2024 season with a 41-121 record.
