The Chicago White Sox have not really entered a season under Rick Renteria with the expectation of being a contender. That’s about to change going into the 2020 season.
Under Renteria, the White Sox have a 201-284 record which, standing alone, that statistic doesn’t bode well.
However, the South Side is going to witness the most talented roster they have had under Renteria which is going to increase expectations, but also put a lot of pressure on him.
The hot seat will be burning very quickly if the White Sox look anything like the 72-89 team from the 2019 season.
On the positive side, that was the best record the team had since hiring Renteria as they won 10 more games than they did in 2018 (62-100), which was the marked improvement that the organization likely needed to see to keep him at the helm.
Lucas Giolito, Yoan Moncada, and Tim Anderson enjoyed breakout seasons while Eloy Jimenez burst onto the scene with a 30-homer season.
Yasmani Grandal, Dallas Keuchel, and Edwin Encarnacion added some truly established presences to a young White Sox squad expected to the open the 2020 season with top prospect Luis Robert on the Opening Day roster.
There’s a level of credibility the team has entering this season after making a plethora of strong additions this past offseason that has changed the game.
If Renteria leads this team to a winning season, his job will almost certainly be safe for the following year. But, if this team struggles out of the gate, his job could be in jeopardy very quickly.
He doesn’t have to necessarily be better than the Minnesota Twins or even Cleveland Indians this year, but they have to be right in the thick of contention or else the questions will swirl around him.
If things go right, Renteria is in a position where he’ll be in the thick of AL Manager of the Year debates. GM Rick Hahn will also get a lot of credit in this scenario and probably more so than Renteria, but both will be looked at as the heads guiding the team into the future.
Renteria’s job, though, will be in a lot more jeopardy than Hahn’s in 2020 and the White Sox need to perform to ensure Renteria’s long-term future with the South Side.