Chicago White Sox: Three alumni who could end up coaching them
The Chicago White Sox have a manager but if things don’t work out, there are some old players who might make a good coach one day.
The Chicago White Sox are one of the great up and coming teams in Major League Baseball. They are also a team that has a great emphasis on players from the somewhat recent past. There are some people out there who want to start seeing that success from the past help the potential for the future. They still need a few more things to really get going in their quest for a championship.
The Sox currently have Rick Renteria as their manager. He has a record below .500 as a manager but there is a bit of context to that fact. His first year as a manager was with a rebuilding-Chicago Cubs team. They fired him, hired Joe Maddon, and won the World Series a few years later. Well, then he joined the rebuilding White Sox so he had to start all over.
That fact alone should allow Rick Renteria a fair chance as the manager of this baseball team. He has been so loyal to this team and it’s players so everyone should be cheering for him to see it through. Before the coronavirus did what it did to our world, it looked like the 2020 White Sox were going to be the best team he’s ever coached on paper. Well, this year is already unique so maybe he deserves a chance with this club in a normal year to really see how he fares.
If it should end up not working out for Renteria, the White Sox have some alumni that would make great Major League managers. All three of them in mind come from the great World Series team of 2005. These are the three best candidates to become the team’s manager amongst alumni:
A.J. Pierzynski
As far as a personality, not many players in Chicago White Sox history are more notable than A. J. Pierzynski. He was the team’s catcher for eight years. In year one with the club, they won the World Series and he was one of the biggest parts of it all. He was loud, personable, and one of those guys who you hate if he is not on your team.
One thing that was so clear, is that he knows the game of baseball as well as anyone. He used his brain to think the game in ways that not many can. Taking a chance on the dropped third strike against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ended up helping the White Sox win that game. Things like that are why he would fit as a manager in Major League Baseball.
Catchers, a lot of the time, turn out to be good managers in baseball. It makes sense because of the brains needed to play the position. Pierzynski has tried his hand in analysis and has done a great job. He clearly knows the game and could be a great pick to be the team’s manager one day not too far down the line. Even if it wasn’t for the White Sox, A.J. could absolutely be a manager for anyone in baseball.
Paul Konerko
Paul Konerko is one of the most notable names in the history of not only the Chicago White Sox but Chicago sports in general. He hit the monster grand slam in the 2005 World Series, won the MVP of the 2005 ALCS, and has had many memorable moments in the regular season. He is one of the three greatest players in the history of the franchise in most people’s minds.
For that reason, you have to think that he might take up coaching one day. He isn’t really readily available for the media since his career ended but he was a great baseball mind. He was also a tremendous leader as he was often referred to as the White Sox captain. If you are that baseball smart and that good of a leader, it is the makings of a great Major League manager.
If he came out of nowhere and wanted to be a Major League manager in a few years, the White Sox might be smart to be a player for him. He is one of the great faces this franchise has ever had to represent them. He has been a classy, quiet, great person for them and a chance as a manager could be in his future if he wanted it. Paulie is one of the great leaders this team has ever had and it would be awesome to see him bring it to an actual leadership position.
Scott Podsednik
The Chicago White Sox have had many memorable moments over the years. The successful seasons have been few and far between but the 2005 year will be talked about and remembered forever. Scott Podsednik was an integral part of that team getting over the hump that year. He was the perfect leadoff man for one of the most perfectly balanced lineups in the history of the team.
He had 0 home runs in the 2005 regular season but then popped off for two in the postseason, including a walk-off game-winner in the World Series. He worked very hard to become the player that he was and it showed in his remarkable improvement as time went on. He is a very good baseball mind that had to use it to reach the world’s highest level.
Podsednik has had a hand in NBC Sports Chicago’s White Sox coverage as a pre and postgame analyst. That tells us two things – he loves the White Sox enough to still follow them for a living and he is smart enough to give an objective opinion on television. That shows that he might be a really good candidate to be this team’s manager.
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Obviously, this is all just for conversation as Rick Renteria is going to get his chance to coach a good team. However, it is fun to think about which former players could be ones to come in and coach the team. We’ve seen guys like Ozzie Guillen and Robin Ventura come in and coach this team as former players, so maybe that could be the case down the line.