The White Sox interview process to find a new manager is underway, and a new candidate has emerged. According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes, the White Sox are eyeing Pedro Grifol to fill their open managerial position. Grifol is currently the Royals’ bench coach, a role he has held for three seasons. Before that, he served as the Royals’ quality control, catching, hitting, and special assignment coach.
The 52-year-old has been in the Royals organization for the past ten seasons. Prior to getting promoted to the major league staff, he served as a coach and manager in the minor leagues. He coached in Low-A ball from 2003-2005 and posted a winning 115-113 record. He then managed the High Desert Mavericks in High-A during the 2012 season, guiding them to an impressive 83-57 record.
Grifol is also a former catcher who played in the minor leagues for nine seasons in the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets organizations. Former catchers tend to make good managers. On top of the White Sox job, he has interviewed with the Miami Marlins and Kansas City Royals.
There is a lot to like about Grifol. He is younger than most of the names that popped up on the list of potential managers for the White Sox. As a Cuban-American, he seems like a great fit to help guide a roster that consists of Cuban-born players Yoan Moncada, Luis Robert, Yasmani Grandal, and eventually Oscar Colas.
During his end-of-season press conference, Rick Hahn said that one of the traits he is looking for in a manager is an excellent communicator.
Grifol fits the bill. By all accounts, he is well-liked by players. He often serves as a translator for the Spanish-speaking players on the Royals roster. In 2019 he was praised for his handling of the catching room in Kansas City that consisted of Salvador Perez from Venezuela, and Cam Gallagher, from Pennsylvania.
During a 2019 interview with KNBR, Gallagher talked about how Grifols controlled the room.
“Especially the guys who were coming up and didn’t necessarily speak good English — maybe were on the fence of going up to certain coaches or were a little nervous,” said Gallagher. “Maybe afraid to go up and voice their opinion with some of the major league coaches. But [Grifol] would always get with the Latin guys and make them feel comfortable.”
Another advantage to hiring Grifol is that he has been in the division for the past decade. He has all the scouting reports on the AL Central and can help provide an outsider’s perspective on how opponents are attacking the White Sox’s strengths and weaknesses.
What Grifol lacks is experience managing at the highest level. Hahn emphasized experience during his press conference. That is the one thing that Grifol can’t provide. However, he has been in the dugout for a long time and has been a part of winning teams.
Even if the White Sox don’t think Grifol is their guy, interviewing him marks a step in the right direction. It is good to see them doing their due diligence and having a thorough interview process. Usually, this goes without saying in any type of job search, but the White Sox have proven time and time again that they are not the most functional organization. Casting a wide net in their search is a vast improvement over their usual nepotism.
Pedro Grifol is a dark-horse candidate to keep an eye on. He has the potential to be a great fit with the White Sox.
Pedro Grifol, longtime coach with the Royals, is expected to be the next White Sox manager, an announcement that could come later this week.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 1, 2022
if hes a good fit then dont let him near reinsdorf or williams