2 pros and 1 con for hiring AJ Pierzynski as the next White Sox manager
The Chicago White Sox may consider AJ Pierzynski as their next manager. There are pros and cons to that idea.
The Chicago White Sox are looking to hire a new manager for 2025 and beyond. They haven't said that publicly, but guaranteed yourself to be under .500 before August, and being on pace for the worst season in MLB history certainly warrants that kind of speculation.
Pedro Grifol is amongst the worst managers in Major League Baseball history for a variety of reasons. The White Sox will instantly improve by 10 games the second he leaves.
Who is going to replace him though? Well, the newest rumor suggests that AJ Pierzynski could be the man for the job. The former World Series-winning White Sox catcher could be a great candidate for the job.
Does anybody trust Chris Getz to make this hire? Of course not! However, We've seen AJ in a leadership role as a player and he thrived. Seeing him in a dugout would be nothing short of interesting, to say the least.
There are pros and cons to a hire like this. These are the two biggest pros and the one biggest con:
A pro is that AJ Pierzynski will bring the attitude needed to galvanize
The Chicago White Sox have nothing with Pedro Grifol as their manager. Not only is his decision-making and baseball strategy horrible, but he also does nothing to galvanize the team.
He isn't a leader out there every day saying what needs to be said. There is a lot of coasting going on around that team and he does nothing to stop it.
He also doesn't have the winning attitude that a good manager needs. He made it seem like it when he was first hired but never lived up to it.
Pierzynski will step in with a lot of fire. He knows what it takes to win and he brought the attitude every day as a player. He was obsessed with getting the job done right and he did it more often than not. As a manager, you'd like to think he can do it there too.
A pro is that AJ Pierzynski will add entertainment factor to this franchise
AJ Pierzynski was nothing short of entertaining when he was a player. You remember things like the dropped third strike, the incident with Michael Barrett, and many other funny moments he had throughout his career.
He was also very good at hitting and a good catcher. All of these things made him a very entertaining player all around.
When AJ was a player, he was always around for a good quote. If he were a manager talking to the media every day, the entertainment factor would be there.
If the team played well, he'd be a great commenter on that. If they were lacking effort or playing poor fundamental baseball, he'd certainly have something interesting to say about that as well. If the team is going to be that bad, they might as well have a manager worth watching and supporting.
A con is that AJ Pierzynski has never coached or managed in MLB before
The Chicago White Sox have had tons of different managers over the years. There are the Pedro Grifol types who made their managing debut, guys like Rick Renteria who had previous experience but nothing too long, and even a guy like Tony La Russa who has multiple decades of high-end experience.
All of them have mostly failed while wearing a White Sox uniform. With that said, you’d still prefer someone with experience coaching before they become a manager. Managerial experience is a bonus.
AJ Pierzynski’s biggest con is that he doesn’t have any of that experience in MLB. He was never a coach or a manager. If he followed Grifol, it would be two managers in a row lacking managerial experience (Grifol was the bench coach for the Kansas City Royals).
Pierzynski was an incredible leader as a player. He was also a catcher which requires leadership skills as the only person who can see everyone on the field in front of them. With that said, there is nothing like being the manager in games that count.
If hired, the White Sox would be hoping that his experience as a catcher along with everything he learned from others along the way will make him a good manager. It may be risky but could could also be genius.
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