This afternoon, the White Sox announced their major-league coaching staff for the 2024 season:
Here is what the staff looks like:
- Bench Coach: Charlie Montoyo
- Pitching Coach: Ethan Katz
- Assistant Pitching Coach: Matt Wise
- Hitting Coach: Marcus Thames
- Assistant Hitting Coach: Mike Tosar
- First Base/Outfield Coach: Jason Bourgeois
- Third Base/Infield Coach: Eddie Rodríguez
- Catching Coach: Drew Butera
- Major League Coach: Grady Sizemore
Wise, Thames, Bourgeois, Butera, and Sizemore are new to the organization, while Montoyo, Katz, Tosar, and Rodríguez return to the staff in 2024.
Here is a breakdown of the turnover on the staff, with new coaches/positions italicized and their most recent former team in quotations:
| Position | 2024 Coach | 2023 Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Manager | Pedro Grifol | Pedro Grifol |
| Bench Coach | Charlie Montoyo | Charlie Montoyo |
| Hitting Coach | Marcus Thames (LAA) | José Castro |
| Assistant Hitting Coach | Mike Tosar | Chris Johnson |
| Pitching Coach | Ethan Katz | Ethan Katz |
| Bullpen Coach | Matt Wise (LAA) | Curt Hasler |
| First Base Coach | Jason Bourgeois (LAD) | Daryl Boston |
| Third Base Coach | Eddie Rodriguez | Eddie Rodríguez |
| Catching Coach | Drew Butera (LAA) | N/A |
| Major League Instructor | Grady Sizemore (N/A) | N/A |
Wise, 47, spent the last three seasons as the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels. After serving as the Angels bullpen coach in 2020, he began the 2021 season as interim pitching coach before taking over the position on a full-time basis in late May of that season. Prior to joining the major-league coaching staff, Wise spent eight seasons in the Angels player development system, including 2018–19 as the minor-league pitching coordinator. He and Katz both worked in the Angels system from 2013–15.
Wise appeared in 209 games (18 starts) over parts of eight seasons in the major leagues with the Angels (2000–02), Milwaukee (2004–07), and New York Mets (2008), going 17–22 with a 4.23 ERA (149 ER/317.0 IP) and 41 holds. He was a member of the Angels 2002 World Series championship club.
Thames, 47, enters his first season as the White Sox hitting coach after serving in the same capacity with the Angels in 2023. The Angels ranked among the American League leaders last season in home runs (3rd, 231), slugging percentage (5th, .426), OPS (7th, .743), walks (7th, 548) and extra-base hits (T7th, 505). Thames worked as the hitting coach for the Miami Marlins in 2022, and for the Yankees from 2018–21. He also served as the Yankees’ assistant hitting coach from 2016–17.
Thames appeared in 640 career games over 10 major-league seasons with the Yankees (2002, ’10), Texas (2003), Detroit (2005–09), and the Dodgers (2011). He homered in his first career at-bat off Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson on June 10, 2002 vs. Arizona.
Bourgeois, 41, has spent the last five seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization serving as the outfield and baserunning coordinator from 2021–23. Bourgeois was slated to be on the coaching staff for Class High A Rancho Cucamonga in 2020 before the minor-league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, he was a coach for Class A Great Lakes, which posted an 81–55 (.596) overall record and reached the Midwest League playoffs.
A Houston native, Bourgeois played in 317 major-league games over parts of eight seasons with the White Sox (2008), Milwaukee (2009), Houston (2010–11), Kansas City (2012), Tampa Bay (2013) and Cincinnati (2014–15), hitting .253 (179–708) with 20 doubles, seven triples, six home runs, 44 RBI, 54 stolen bases and 97 runs scored.
Butera, 40, is a former major-league catcher who was a member of the Angels coaching staff in 2022–23. He served as the Angels catching coordinator last season and as a bullpen catcher in 2022.
Butera played parts of 12 seasons with Minnesota (2010–13), the Dodgers (2013–14), Angels (2015, ‘21), Kansas City (2015–18) and Colorado (2018–20), hitting .196 (262–1,337) with 19 home runs and 123 RBI. He caught two no-hitters during his career: Francisco Liriano’s on May 3, 2011 at the White Sox and Josh Beckett’s on May 25, 2014 at Philadelphia. Butera, the son of former MLB catcher Sal Butera, was a member of the 2015 World Series Champion Royals.
Sizemore, 41, enters his first season on a big-league coaching staff as a White Sox major-league coach. He served as a coach for the Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks in 2022, his second professional assignment after working in Cleveland’s player development system in 2017.
Sizemore was a career .265 hitter (1,098–4,417) with 150 home runs and 518 RBI in 1,101 major-league games over 10 seasons with Cleveland (2004–11), Boston (2014), Philadelphia (2014–15) and Tampa Bay (2015). He was a three-time All-Star (2006–08), two-time Gold Glove honoree (2007–08) and a Silver Slugger Award winner (2008), all with Cleveland.
For the White Sox and Chris Getz, one thing is abundantly clear: recent experience playing at the major league level is going to be important to the staff. Thames, Wise, Sizemore, Bourgeois, and Butera all come from different backgrounds, but share the same trait as Getz and Barfield: major league experience. How it will work out remains to be seen, but this staff still represents a large shakeup from the White Sox’s 2023 staff.
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Featured Photo: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Until they fire Pedro Gonnafail nothing matters!