Chicago White Sox: What is Robin Ventura’s future as manager?
By Erik Brown
The Chicago White Sox are playing like they are in little league. There. I said it. Now that it is out of my system it would be wise to look at what is happening out on the south side of the Windy City.
The White Sox haven’t hit, pitched, or played defense well through one month of the season. A switch needs to be flipped in that clubhouse and on that field for this team to reach the potential that has after a flashy offseason full of big moves.
Slugging first baseman Jose Abreu says to blame the players, not the coaching staff, and I agree, but the coaching staff could still help. Whether it involves reshuffling the lineup, pitching staff, or both, something needs to change.
Manager Robin Ventura has been a lightning rod for criticism as Abreu alludes to in his quote, and while I do not believe he deserves to be fired here in the first week of May. If nothing changes within the next month and a half, ask me again.
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Ventura is not going to be a rah-rah, light a fire under you, run through a brick wall type of manager. That simply is not how he is as a person. It also does not mean he is a vegetable in the dugout though, despite what some fans may think. (Here is proof he has more personality than a baked potato.)
But with the recent firing of the Milwaukee Brewers’ manager Ron Roenicke, a thought crossed through my head that despite team owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s loyalty to former players, could Ventura be the next manager out of a job? If anything surpasses Reinsdorf’s loyalty it would be his desire to win, which the club is not doing often at the moment.
With fans clamoring for Ventura’s head, pressure may be mounting on the team with every loss to make some sort of move. Managers are often that move. A move that I do not see happening anytime soon. There is no reason to blame Ventura for the team’s errors, lack of hitting, or unusually high earned run averages. Those, like Abreu said, are on the players.
Should Ventura do something, ANYTHING? Yes. What? I don’t know. Use platoon systems, shake up the lineup, move rookie phenom Carlos Rodon into the starting rotation? Why not.
Something needs to happen, but if Reinsdorf’s personal history is any indication, it will not be the firing of Ventura. Not yet at least.
Perhaps if the season continues its current trajectory there may be a made move by the All-Star break, but I would think if anything were to happen, it would happen after the season. And without any sort of an improvement, I would expect that move to be made very in early October.