There is one area that Pedro Grifol has been the same as Tony La Russa.
1. Pitching management
In his second stint with the White Sox, Tony La Russa didn't handle the pitching all that well. In fact, he was borderline awful. Some of the things he did with starters and relievers made people really scratch their heads and wonder why.
So far in 2023, Pedro Grifol hasn't been much of an upgrade. For one, he has used Jake Diekman and Jose Ruiz in way too many different situations. Those guys should be reserved for games that are out of reach one way or another.
He also left Michael Kopech in the game for far too long in the home opener. There was no reason for him to have to give up four home runs in one inning when it wasn't that early in the outing anymore. That didn't do Kopech or the team any favors.
In this area of managing, Pedro Grifol has looked like a rookie manager. At least he doesn't have the "Hall of Fame baseball person" mentality to rely on and stay stuck in his ways. He might be smart enough to make adjustments to his style so that the bullpen and starters can succeed.
If Pedro Grifol continues to improve and the team responds, they could end up being a playoff team. If that did happen, we could be talking about someone in consideration for manager of the year. Hopefully, that ends up being the case.