Ranking the 4 White Sox managers since Ozzie Guillen
The Chicago White Sox have had a lot of issues in the recent past. Of course, they won the World Series in 2005 as that team caught lightning in a bottle.
It is one of the most improbable wins in the history of the sport but nobody can ever take that away from them.
Ozzie Guillen was the manager of the team during that amazing run and he is a legend in town forever as a result.
He stayed with the team for a long time after that and will be known as one of the greatest managers in the history of Chicago sports.
Since his departure, there have been four managers to run this team. None of them have come close to having that level of success. This is how they rank:
1. Rick Renteria
Rick Renteria was a good manager for the White Sox during his time.
Yes, Rick Renteria only made the playoffs once with this team. Well, they've only had two total appearances in the playoffs since Guillen left so that isn't much of a measure.
The White Sox weren't that good under him but he was doing a great job during the early stages of the rebuild. The team looked motivated, like they were developing, and like they had something very special coming in the future.
They should have never fired him following the 2020 season. It is hindsight to say that because most people wanted him gone for whatever reason. He was, after he was fired, nominated for manager of the year which is very funny.
Renteria is the best manager that the White Sox have had since Guillen because of the fact that the team wanted to play for him. With the talent on this roster, it is fair to assume they'd still be thriving under him. You don't know what you have until it is gone.
2. Tony La Russa
The Chicago White Sox had one winning season with Tony La Russa.
This is where the list gets really bad and we are only at number two. That sounds like a compliment but it is not. What comes after him is even worse.
La Russa did have one winning season in 2021. He was saved by some Yermin Mercedes magic, a great bullpen, and some clutch hitting in other areas by guys like Jake Lamb, Billy Hamilton, and Bryan Goodwin.
He took that one division title and didn't do anything with it. In 2022, the White Sox had one of the most disappointing years in franchise history.
His management of the bullpen was terrible, the starting lineups were bad, and his in-game strategy was just way off. It was clear that he held them back a lot of the time.
La Russa had a health scare as the season was winding down and we wish him nothing but the best but he wasn't fit to manage the team anymore. He is one of the greatest managers in the history of the sport but his second stint on the south side was horrific.
3. Pedro Grifol
Pedro Grifol is not an upgrade which is a problem for the White Sox.
The difference between 3 and 4 isn’t all that much. The tiebreaker is hoping that things can turn around for Pedro Grifol. He is a young rookie manager that has a long way to go.
2023 has been a disaster for the White Sox with him at the help. He is far from the only reason why that is but he also isn’t blameless either. There are plenty of issues with the way he manages.
The lineup cards have been a very big problem. Jake Burger batting 8th when he’s red hot but 4th when he’s a little bit cold is an example. It also took him forever to shake up the top of the lineup and he did it two days after saying he wouldn’t for a while.
The bullpen management has also been a disaster. Doing the lefty vs righty thing is nice when all of the pitchers are good. When someone like Aaron Bummer is terrible, it doesn’t matter that he’s a lefty.
Pedro is also starting to get very mad at media people for challenging him. Welcome to the big leagues, man. When you are the poor manager of a poor team, folks are going to ask you about it. We can only hope that it turns around.
4. Robin Ventura
Robin Ventura was a horrific manager for the Chicago White Sox.
The Chicago White Sox had Robin Ventura as a player and a manager. As a player, he was awesome. He was truly one of the best third basemen the team has ever had.
For a long time, he was a fan favorite. Unfortunately, some of that has gone away since his tenure as the manager. He was absolutely terrible.
He was bad at all of the things that the previously mentioned managers were bad at. The only difference is that Ventura looked like he didn't want to be there half the time.
They say teams look like the way they are managed and that is a very accurate statement for Ventura. The team looked lethargic and unprepared every year.
Pedro Grifol doesn't count because he is half a season into things but at least the other two made the playoffs at least once. Ventura literally only went above .500 once and that was in 2012 which had some shells of the World Series team still on it.
All four of these guys were less than ideal managers for the White Sox but the history is the history. Someone has to be one and someone has to be four.
dark. Next. The 15 worst contracts in Chicago White Sox history