3 reasons why timing of Pedro Grifol's dismissal from White Sox was justified

The White Sox' dismissal of Pedro Grifol last week was long overdue. Since being named the manager in November 2022, his controversial style and tactics both on and off the field cost him his job and the fanbase's respect. Ending his Sox managing career with a 89-190 record, Grifol failed to execute the core responsibilities of a baseball manager.

3 reasons Pedro Grifol failed as White Sox manager

Setting starting lineups 

Grifol’s training under former Royals’ manager Mike Matheny didn’t prepare him to write a lineup card as manager. As a bench coach from 2020-2022, Grifol adopted lineup construction strategies from a manager who was criticized for this while in St. Louis and Kansas City. Max Rieper, Editor in Chief for Royals Review, pointed out in 2022 that Matheny is notorious for falling back on veterans over young talent. Rieper observed:

“A common complaint about Matheny’s time in St. Louis is that he did not trust his young players, yanking them from the starting lineup at the first sign of trouble, while sticking with a struggling veteran no matter how he was performing, creating a double standard. That has begun to carry over to Kansas City, with Matheny penciling in Whit Merrifield in his lineup literally every single game, despite the fact Merrifield has the fifth-worst wRC+ among all qualified hitters.”

Grifol embodies this flaw to inherently trust seasoned veterans over up-and-coming players. Under Grifol’s management this season, LF Andrew Benintendi played 95 games and merely hit .210/.263/.351. Similarly, CF Luis Robert Jr. batted .207/.273/.414 in 61 games. Even if they struggle early, prospects and young talent need to be given a fair chance.  

Managing the bullpen

While Grifol isn’t solely responsible for the White Sox pitching woes, his bullpen management tactics are inefficient. Grifol prematurely turned to his relievers, restricting starters to 81 pitches per game on average. Enacting the bullpen earlier in the game adds strain and pressure to the unit.

White Sox pitchers put Grifol in a tough position as a manager, but he should know better than to pull starting pitchers off the mound in games where it was clear that winning was off the table. With relief pitchers ranked lowest in the league in run support per inning and game, Grifol should’ve left starters in longer. Matheny similarly overworked his relief pitchers in an effort to win every game, no matter the score.  

Cultivating a clubhouse culture

Without playing in the big leagues himself, Grifol’s disconnect with his players wasn’t a surprise. Grifol never graduated beyond Triple-A with the Twins and Mets in his playing career, and this lack of experience in a major league clubhouse likely contributed to his inability to foster a clubhouse built on mutual respect and understanding.

SP Dylan Cease, who was traded to the Padres in March 2024, admitted to NBC Sports Chicago earlier in the season that his last year with the White Sox “wasn’t enjoyable in any way.” Former teammate and CP Liam Hendriks also disclosed to the Chicago Sun-Times, “There wasn’t, honestly, enough positivity and eagerness to go out there and play on a day-to-day basis.” 

While he isn’t the only one who contributes to the clubhouse culture, Grifol needed to at least hold players accountable and keep morale high during losing stints. He did neither.