3) This team has a better manager.
Will Venable is already establishing a culture where losing should not be flushed like his predecessor, Pedro Grifol, constantly spewed. Venable knows he is working with a talent deficient team, but he has also made it clear beating yourself will not be tolerated.
When Venable does call out the players, he does it respectfully. He seems authentic, whereas when Grifol finally decided to blast the team, it was awkward and poorly timed.
Maybe it's because Venable is a former big league player. He gets that being a "grinder" is not always going to win you games. That's what Pedro wanted - a bunch of grinders - but he ignored simple concepts like analytics and gameplans.
Say what you want about the bullpen, but at least Venable is willing to manage it modernly by using his best arms to get the critical outs when they are needed, even if that's not in the 9th inning.
Venable is still growing into the role, but his decisions seem to follow a sound process even if they don't always work out.
For example, this is the season to develop the team's young talent at or near the MLB level. It made sense to see if Mike Vasil, who has been succesful, could be more than a long reliever. The White Sox have been getting creative with Vasil's usage.
The only way to find out what a guy has got is to try things when the opportunity presents itself. Vasil failed to protect a slim lead last Wednesday, but if taking a loss means developmental data is gathered, so be it.
If you are unsure of Venable being a good manager, at least the franchise's greatest manager, Ozzie Guillen, is convinced Venable is an upgrade over Grifol.