Looking at the White Sox's Managerial Candidates
Who really should be running things on the South Side in '23?
Things are starting to heat up on the managerial search front for the Chicago White Sox.
After a couple of weeks of mostly radio silence since the first week of October — when Tony La Russa announced his plans to retire (again) and the painfully mediocre season on the South Side petered to its end — the end of this past week saw a couple of immediate developments that would cause one to think the Sox are starting to get a grip on what they truly want out of this hire.
In typical Sox and Chicago sport fashion, the front office of the Sox seem to be offering two extreme choices — either a relatively unknown first-time manager stands to get this job, or a re-tread who we all know too well.
Last Friday saw both the surprising breaking news of an actual Sox hire in Houston bench coach Joe Espada and the reporting of the team’s plans to interview beloved former player, World Series-winning manager and current NBC Sports Chicago commentator Ozzie Guillen. Guess which report didn’t make it through the weekend?
Of course, Espada, who has interviewed for the position and apparently has impressed the team, is still in the employ of the Astros, who will be playing in Game 1 of the World Series this Friday.
Maybe Espada is the front-runner at this point, but as long as his team is still active there is an opening for another person to take the job and that brings us to Guillen, who stands to have an official interview soon after some initial talk saying that he already interviewed last week.
While Espada and Guillen represent the two extremes the Sox are approaching in this search, there are other options available, and the team has reportedly kept its eyes open to many, including vets like Ron Washington and other candidates looking for their first managerial position, like bench coaches Pedro Grifol (Royals) and Matt Quatraro (Rays).
There was also the possibility that the Sox may bring another retired, multiple-time champion manager into the fold in Bruce Bochy, but he has been hired away by the Rangers.
So, with no shortage of options left, the Sox stand a chance to be ahead of the game, either simply waiting on the services of a skilled assistant to a winning team to complete their responsibilities or talking themselves into getting back in business with a one-of-a-kind character who’s given the franchise its greatest moment of glory in decades, but also flamed out in relatively quick succession.
Some of our most fervent baseball minds here at WARR Media offer their advice on whether or not Ozzie should be the man again on the South Side with a “yay” or “nay”:
Chris Pennant — Nay
Ozzie is a favorite of mine, but hiring him back is a tried and failed tactic that doesn't work for teams. The Sox have re-hired former managers three times since 1967: Al Lopez, Paul Richards and Tony LaRussa. Only LaRussa had a winning season and that was damn near by circumstance. For ONCE, go outside the organization for your next skipper, and find someone who's starting out rather than finishing up (or retired...again.)
Saul Rodriguez — Nay
As much as I wanted to say “yay,” I just don’t think this is the answer. Ozzie has been there and done that but seeing how he has fared with other franchises I think there’s a limit to the potential success he could have as a skipper again. It is strange to me that Ozzie has not been close to getting a new manager gig since 2012.
Gavriel Wilkins — Nay
As much as I love Ozzie — and know that he will always be remembered by fans for his All-Star glove at shortstop and being arguably the best manager ever in White Sox history — I don't believe that revisiting the past is the right move for an organization trying to provide a frustrated fan base with new traditions to the South Side, especially when he has not served in a managerial capacity in a decade.
(Ozzie) may very well know the organization better than anyone, as he proclaims, and while he is amazing as a studio analyst before and after White Sox games on NBC Sports Chicago one must realize that there is a fine difference between being in the hot seat of a dugout during a pennant race late in September versus sitting back in an climate-controlled studio relaying to a home audience what you would have done whether that is true or not.
So there ya go…we can’t say we offer our endorsement of the beloved Ozzie as manager once again, but hopefully there aren’t any hard feelings, and he at least remains a part of the team’s TV coverage regardless of how this interview process plays out.
In kicking around some other candidates, we’ve come to like the idea of Cubs third base coach Willie Harris at least getting a look. Harris’ argument of having “swag” to match the Sox’s roster is undeniable and he also has his connection to the 2005 champions, having earned a ring with them. Though he did interview for the last opening in 2020, unfortunately there hasn’t been word to this point of an interview given to Harris this time, but we hold out hope.
Here are some other reasons we offer as to why Harris would be a good next manager for the Sox:
Saul — Harris would be a perfect fit because he is a fresh face but he has great baseball experience, he also has great charisma and knows what it is like to play and win in the South Side of Chicago.
Gavriel — Although he does have previous ties to the White Sox organization, Harris could provide a fresh voice in the locker room for the team as he managed to play a part in helping develop through managing the likes of Eloy Jimenez and Aaron Bummer at the Class A level (Winston-Salem) prior to joining David Ross' staff.
(Harris is) known as a guy who has always been well-respected by his peers in the clubhouse. I don't know if he would be my first choice, but he has paid more than his fair share of dues to eventually receive a managerial job from a Major League team. Plus, he has a ton of experience that could serve him well back on the South Side if granted an opportunity within familiar confines.
We’ll have more to say on the Sox managerial search, including more on Espada, who as of Monday is being reported as a finalist for the open job in Miami. Check here and with our MLB podcast, At-Bat, for more.
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