While it is likely that the Chicago White Sox will continue to be one of the worst teams in all of baseball next year, they have made some significant strides to becoming a better baseball team, specifically in the front office and coaching staff.
After the fantastic hire of Will Venable, who will continue to assemble a great staff, the White Sox have brought in another bright baseball mind, as they have added a brand new position within the organization.
According to Daryl Van Schouwen, the White Sox have hired Ryan Fuller to be the director of hitting for the White Sox organization.
https://x.com/CST_soxvan/status/1853916419504926833
This is a very good hire, as the Baltimore Orioles have had a lot of recent success developing their young hitting prospects, an area the White Sox have needed major improvement in. As White Sox fans are well aware, they have done a very poor job of developing their young hitting prospects.
Fuller been with the Baltimore Orioles organization for the last few years, as he had extensive work in their minor league system before working with the major league team. The last role that Fuller held with the major league team was co-hitting coach.
As Van Schouwen points out, this will be the hitting equivalent role of Brian Bannister’s current role with the team, as he is the director of pitching. That role has worked out well for the White Sox, as they have done a much better job of developing pitching as of late.
This is a fantastic hire for the White Sox, as the Baltimore Orioles are at the top of the league in developing their hitting prospects. On top of that, they were one of the best offenses in the league.
Last year, Baltimore ranked second in homeruns, fourth in runs scored, seventh in batting average, third in slugging percentage, and seventh in hits. If the White Sox were able to come anywhere near those numbers in the future, that would be a huge success.
Having someone who has helped unlock some of the best young hitters in the game is a huge asset for the team. It remains to be seen what his day-to-day role will be, or who he will bring over with him to Chicago.
Regardless, Chris Getz has done a good job of surrounding the team with bright minds, as he has now made a few good moves in a row, something White Sox fans aren’t used to.
Seems like a smart move. Radical idea hiring from successful teams.