It felt like it was likely for a long time, but it finally came to fruition Tuesday night, that White Sox manager Will Venable would be rewarded for the team’s outstanding season. Prior to 2026, the White Sox had endured three-straight 100-loss seasons, though Venable was only in the organization for the latter of the three, and a complete turnaround in 2026 took most everyone by surprise. They became the best story in baseball, so it’s only right that the man at the helm was rewarded. After Venable took home the AL Manager of the Year award Tuesday night over fellow finalists Kevin Cash and Chad Tracy, White Sox fans were largely divided on the issue.
For some, the clubhouse chemistry, breakout season of several young players, and the organization’s 24-game improvement despite major questions in the rotation and a lot of rookies made the award rightfully deserved. Others pointed to some head-scratching in-game decisions, the team’s struggles in September, and the offense’s disappearance during the final three playoff games as reasons why it should’ve gone elsewhere. I’ve been critical of Venable at times this season, but I tend to fall into the former category.
First of all, the Manager of the Year award being primarily based on the team’s record is nothing new. It’s very difficult for voters who do not follow every team for 162 games to make votes based on in-game decisions, so the easiest metrics for them to follow are the record, the improvement, and the general vibe around the club. You can see that evidenced in recent years.
Storyline has always mattered more than decisions in Manager of the Year award
Even in the nominees this year, it’s obvious that the storyline is what matters. Chad Tracy took a Boston team that was dead in the water in April and brought them to the Postseason– although their playoff life was short and ugly. Kevin Cash took yet another uninspiring Rays roster on paper and brought them all the way to the World Series after winning one of the best divisions in baseball. And of course, the White Sox became the first team in MLB history to lose 100 games in three-straight seasons, then make the playoffs the following year, and Venable is the man at the helm. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt took home the award in 2025 after the Guardians overcame a historic deficit to win the division in September. The storyline drives the award, and there was no better storyline in baseball than the 2026 White Sox.
There were definitely times this year where I didn’t agree with Will Venable’s decisions, but that is the case for all 30 fanbases and their managers throughout a 162 game season. These are humans managing these teams, not robots, and not computers. They’re going to make mistakes– several of them– throughout the year, and if the standard from the fans is perfect decision-making, they’re never going to be satisfied.
White Sox fans have had some bad managing in recent years. During the Tony La Russa and Pedro Grifol eras, the players were often critical of the manager and each other, and the teams never felt like a cohesive unit. That has never been the case under Venable and his staff. The players love Venable, and several players have praised the clubhouse environment he’s created and called 2026 the most fun they’ve ever had playing baseball.
"A really special group that created a belief early on in the year... our guys just never backed down."@whitesox manager Will Venable shares what he learned from this season on his way to winning AL Manager of the Year. https://t.co/Z3mr9mlGns pic.twitter.com/fRyBjZlJjf
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 11, 2026
Breakout star Miguel Vargas spoke on Venable in October:
“Everything starts with Will,” Vargas said. “The way he lets us lead the clubhouse. He’s an example every single day for us too. He lets us be ourselves and have fun”
The White Sox weren’t a complete team in 2026. They didn’t have a good enough pitching staff to win the World Series. They had a young lineup that got too overanxious down the stretch. The bullpen became tired from heavy use. None of those things can be attributed to Venable, and the team still found a way to reach the playoffs and even win a playoff series.
Will Venable’s Manager of the Year win won’t be popular among White Sox fans, but given the history of the award, it was more than deserved. Venable and his staff have turned the White Sox from a laughingstock of the league into a legitimate force in the American League, and that growth deserves to be rewarded.
Add us as a preferred source on Google