Robin Ventura is not going to manage the White Sox in 2017.
Some may say good riddance. Others may still question the organization which put Ventura, who never managed at any level, in charge of a major league team.
Under Ventura’s leadership, the White Sox went 375-434 (.463) which
included a second-place finish in 2012 followed by a fifth-place finish
and three fourth-place finishes. The White Sox have now gone eight
seasons without making the postseason.
Ricky Renteria, the current bench coach, is presumed to be promoted to manager. He was the short term Cub manager until the Cubs swooped in on Joe Maddon.
Renteria had been a coach in the Padres’ organization since 2003 and
was promoted to bench coach in 2011. He left after the 2013 season.
Renteria has one year of managing under his belt, leading the Cubs to a
73-89 fifth-place finish in 2014.
The first issue with the Renteria promotion is that it does not change the White Sox culture or structure. Renteria is like Ventura, not a guy will a dynamic personality. The coaching staff will remain pretty much the same - - - which may not motivate the players to play better.
The second issue is that the management of the Sox does not change. There is a conflict between chairman Reinsdorf's desires, President Kenny Williams retooling philosophy and GM Rick Hahn want to rebuild. Ownership wants to win now. The press thought the White Sox "won" the last two off-seasons with their roster moves, but the players woefully underperformed.
Until the management gets on the same page, the team will continue to struggle.
The third issue is why not have a full managerial search? Renteria may be a nice buy, speaks Spanish to Latin players, and a baseball lifer. But is he the right person for this job? In San Diego, his forte was helping develop young players. The White Sox roster is besieged with veterans.
The White Sox strength is that the minor league system is filled with quality pitchers. The weakness of the White Sox is that the minor league system is devoid of hitting talent and positional players. This leads to a muddy middle of the road team in a weak division.
