The White Sox are shaking up their coaching staff. After reports leaked from ESPN reporter Buster Onley that Pedro Grifol will be named the White Sox new manager, Jon Heyman followed that up with another report that a number of coaches will not be asked back. However, Ethan Katz is expected to return.
Sources confirm: Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol expected to be named next White Sox manager. A number of White Sox coaches not being asked back. Pitching coach Ethan Katz expected to return. First on Grifol: @Buster_ESPN
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 1, 2022
Soon after, a Twitter user by the name of Northbrook Bob (@nbb77) reported that Charlie Montoyo would be the White Sox’s new bench coach. Usually, random Twitter rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, but the report was confirmed by Dan Bernstein of 670 The Score and then broadcast as a part of his daily news on Tuesday morning. Northbrook Bob also has a history of getting stuff right regarding the White Sox. The White Sox have yet to confirm this or the Grifol report.
Many already assumed that Frank Menechino would be out the door after the White Sox porous offensive output this season. Adding Montoyo would mean current White Sox bench coach Miguel Cairo is also on his way out.
Montoyo is a slam-dunk hire for the White Sox. The 57-year-old managed the Blue Jays from 2019-2022 before being fired midway through the 2022 season when the club had a 46-42 record. During that time, he finished fourth in the Manager of the Year voting in 2021 and third in 2020. His best season came in 2021 when he guided Toronto to 91 wins. Despite finishing 20 games over .500, the Blue Jays missed the playoffs, finishing fourth in an AL East race that was loaded with talent.
Before joining the Blue Jays, he kickstarted his coaching career in Tampa Bay in 1997 when he landed a job as the manager of the Rookie-level Princeton Devil Rays. He eventually worked his up to Triple-A to manage the Durham Bulls. He posted a winning record in seven of his eight seasons in Durham, including five consecutive winning seasons from 2007-2011.
The Puerto Rican native managed for his home country during the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He was also a coach for the World Team in the 2010 and 2011 All-Star Futures Games. In 2016 he got his first big-league coaching opportunity as the bench coach for the Tampa Bay Rays. He remained there until he was eventually hired by the Blue Jays in 2019.
Pedro Grifol checks almost all the boxes that Rick Hahn laid out during his end of season press conference. The one thing he lacked was managerial experience in the big leagues. Having Montoyo in the dugout should make up for that.
Grifol has a knack for analytics. He was part of the push to implement defensive shifts in Kansas City. Montoyo was first hired by an innovative Tampa Bay Rays front office. The pair should mesh well together. Having some forward-thinking minds marks a step up for the White Sox.
If Grifol, Montoyo, and Katz are all on the staff next season, the building blocks are in place for an exciting season on the South Side.
Demand aggressiveness, conditioning, and hustle, or you’ll have another .500 year regardless who the coaches are. Stop being baby millionaires. Man up and play a full season.