Will Venable just completely sabotaged another White Sox pitcher's chances

In a year that’s featured many early disappointments for the Chicago White Sox, perhaps nobody has been a bigger disappointment than manager Will Venable. As a rookie manager, Venable oversaw a 19-game improvement and a fun White Sox offense that powered the team to a respectable second half. Entering his second season, the White Sox felt optimistic about the direction they were heading and looked forward to a step forward from their young core. Unfortunately, the early results have been quite the opposite, and Venable has struggled along with the rest of the team. His latest mistake came before Thursday’s game against the Rays. 

The White Sox began the game with righty Jordan Leasure on the mound, marking the fifth time the team has used an opener in the early going. Leasure worked a quiet first and allowed a walk in the second before giving way to the team’s bulk pitcher, Anthony Kay. Though Kay worked through the second without any trouble, he lasted just 2.2 innings before being pulled after 71 pitches. Kay was asked about coming into the game with traffic on the bases, and he didn’t seem thrilled about how the whole thing played out. 

“They told me probably with like 10 minutes before the game that that was going to be the case, that I was going to get the sixth hitter in the lineup,” Kay said. “It’s not really ideal. You kind of just have to adjust and kind of figure it out. My job is to get outs regardless of what situation it is.” 

This is not the first time the White Sox have used an opener for Kay. His second outing of the season was started by Grant Taylor, with a traditional start against the Royals in between the two outings. The White Sox have used an opener for Sean Burke and Erick Fedde this season as well, and have seen a fair amount of success using that strategy, but keeping their pitcher out of the loop and putting him in a tough situation isn’t the correct way to handle it. It’s on Will Venable to make sure his players are fully prepared for the gameplan, whether or not they agree with the team’s decision.  As far as I'm concerned, you signed Anthony Kay to be a starting pitcher, so he should be starting the games.

Will Venable's decisions have not put the team in the best position to win

Aside from his latest gaffe, Venable’s in-game decisions have left a lot to be desired so far this season. With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth inning, Venable sent up Tristan Peters to hit for Derek Hill, despite Peters being just 2-for-22 since April 4th and Hill’s .286 season average. It’s not the first time a pinch-hit decision has raised questions this season. The White Sox hired a staff of young coaches who supposedly follow analytics, but many of the in-game decisions have favored handedness over actual data. His lineups have featured heavy platoon mixes and very little consistency. I'd like to see the same nine players in the lineup every day, especially once Austin Hays and Kyle Teel return from injury.

It’s very easy to criticize a manager when the team isn’t performing and I want to make it clear that the White Sox players are to blame for the team’s poor start. Even with a roster lacking a ton of talent, it’s the manager’s job to put the team in the best position to win, and Will Venable simply hasn’t done so in the early going. 

Just as it is for the rest of the roster, the season is still young, and Venable has time to turn things around. But if he doesn’t, it might be time for the White Sox to start wondering whether he’s truly the right man for the job.

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