Two more names are out of the White Sox manager search, while four known candidates remain in the mix.
According to Jim Margalus of Sox Machine, former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker is no longer being considered for the job. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers revealed that Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso is out of the race as well. That leaves four remaining in the search: Rangers associate manager Will Venable, Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz, former Angels manager Phil Nevin, and White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore.
Albernaz, 41, is the newest name connected to the job as first reported by Jon Heyman on Sunday. He began his coaching career in 2015 when he served in a role for the Princeton Rays of the Appalachian League. After coaching in the New York-Penn League in 2016 and the International League in 2017, he was named Midwest League Manager of the Year with the Bowling Green Hot Rods in 2018.
He got his first job in a Major League system the next year, joining the Rays as a minor league field coordinator. After 2019, San Francisco hired Albernaz as their bullpen and catching coach where he served for four seasons and worked with White Sox senior pitching advisor Brian Bannister. Steven Vogt then added Albernaz as his bench coach in Cleveland, where together they led the team to an ALCS appearance in their first season.
After his recent interview with the Marlins, Albernaz has been considered one of the club’s leading candidates. Like the White Sox, Miami is also believed to have a strong interest in Clayton McCullough and George Lombard, both of whom were ruled out of the Chicago search earlier on Sunday along with Padres special assistant A.J. Ellis.
Over the past few days, Heyman has essentially confirmed Rogers’ report by saying that the top candidates in the White Sox search are believed to include Rangers associate manager Will Venable and former Angels skipper Phil Nevin, with interim manager Grady Sizemore still involved. Rogers does suspect that Nevin might now be out of the equation, though he isn’t able to confirm at this time – that is where reports do conflict a bit.
Of the three, Venable appears to remain the frontrunner for the job as Getz’s favorite candidate. The 41-year-old 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.
Josh Nelson of SoxMachine has alluded to some potential monetary considerations that may be in play here – which are especially relevant with two hot names in Albernaz and Venable, who are both also being considered for the Marlins’ job.
As the White Sox approach a final decision, we’ll monitor the situation for further updates. An official announcement is expected from the team no later than Monday, November 28.
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Featured Photo: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
