As the White Sox manager search continues to narrow, it appears that three leading candidates have emerged.
MLB insider Jon Heyman reports that Rangers bench coach Will Venable, Tigers bench coach George Lombard, and former Angels manager Phil Nevin are all front runners for the team’s manager job. Heyman also noted that Venable is a guy that Chris Getz has always liked, making him a name to continue watching closely in all of this.
Venable, 41, has found himself in a few different roles since retiring after nine big league seasons. He was first named as a special assistant to Cubs president Theo Epstein in September 2017, served as the team’s first base coach from 2018-19, and later as the third base coach in 2020.
Alex Cora and the Red Sox then brought Venable in ahead of the 2021 season to be the team’s bench coach. After two seasons in Boston, Venable landed with the Rangers and has served as an associate manager alongside Bruce Bochy since 2023.
Even before Texas won the World Series last season, Venable saw his name floating around vacancies. He most notably declined an interview with the Mets for their opening last October due to “comfort with his situation,” though he’s now reconsidering his options ahead of 2025.
Lombard, 49, has served as A.J. Hinch’s bench coach for all four of his seasons in Detroit. He began his coaching career with the Red Sox’s minor league affiliates before filling the same role, roving outfield and baserunning coordinator, with the Braves in 2015. The Dodgers then hired Lombard as their first base coach, a role he would hold from 2016 to 2020 under Dave Roberts.
The former outfielder has previously been interviewed for positions with the Marlins (base coach) and Pirates (manager). Given his time with a World Series champion Los Angeles team, which is just a top-class organization itself, Lombard has some great experience to go with his current coaching role on a team that just made the ALDS.
Someone with actual managerial experience under his belt is Nevin, who recently interviewed with the Padres for their opening last winter. The 52-year-old originally took over as the Angels interim manager after Joe Maddon was fired in 2022 and signed on for an additional year with a club option for 2024.
That option was ultimately declined after he went 119-149 over his two seasons at the helm from 2022-23. Nevin was very popular among players because of his personal skills and has been itching to get back into a major league dugout in some capacity.
Though these three names might be among the favorites, the White Sox reportedly have been very interested in Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough. He is one of several other intriguing coaches on a growing list of publicly known candidates.
- Former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker
- Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough
- Former Mets skipper Buck Showalter
- Former Angels manager Phil Nevin
- Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso
- Rangers associate manager Will Venable
- Tigers bench coach George Lombard
- Padres special assistant to major league staff and baseball operations A.J. Ellis
- Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann
The list represents quite a large breadth of experience, though almost all names are either currently in the dugout in some role, a former MLB player, or both. With even more names likely involved in the search, some of which are no longer in the running, it’s unclear how much longer the White Sox have in their process. Things sound pretty far along as is, so be on the lookout for the club to announce a hire at any time now.
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Featured Photo: David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports
