Grady Sizemore Named Interim White Sox Manager After Grifol's Record Losing Streak
August 8, 2024
Grady Sizemore will replace Pedro Grifol as manager of the Chicago White Sox for the remainder of the season.
The White Sox announced on Thursday that Sizemore has been named their interim manager. They also replaced three coaches from Grifol's staff.
Grifol was fired earlier in the day in the midst of his second season as skipper for the White Sox. He led the team to a 28-89 record at the time of his dismissal, which included an American League record-tying 21-game losing streak from July 10 through Aug. 5.
The White Sox statement announcing Grifol's firing did note they would begin the search for a new manager immediately with the goal of hiring a new full-time skipper after the conclusion of the 2024 season.
Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, current Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, New York Mets bench coach John Gibbons and Detroit Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter are among the potential candidates the White Sox will consider.
Jon Morosi @jonmorosi3 potential White Sox candidates:<br><br>Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, whose contract expires this year<br><br>Mets bench coach John Gibbons, who was Chris Getz's final MLB manager<br><br>Tigers pitching coach Chris Fetter, a strong communicator and <a href="https://twitter.com/umichbaseball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@umichbaseball</a> alum<a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLBNetwork</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/670TheScore?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@670TheScore</a>
Grifol was hired by the White Sox in November 2022 after spending 10 seasons as a coach for the Kansas City Royals. Chicago was coming off a solid three-season stretch from 2020 to '22 that included back-to-back playoff appearances in 2020 and 2021.
Things immediately cratered for the White Sox under Grifol. They finished 61-101 in his first season and won 89 out of a possible 279 games before he was fired. His .319 winning percentage is the third-worst in baseball history among managers with at least 279 games.
Those struggles weren't entirely the fault of Grifol. The organization has been in a state of disarray for years under owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
Per The Athletic's Brittany Ghiroli, the White Sox didn't interview any outside candidates last year after firing team president Kenny Williams and general manager Rick Hahn in August 2023. Chris Getz, who had been Hahn's assistant GM since 2021, was promoted to general manager and senior vice president.
Even though the results at the MLB level have been embarrassing this season, there are signs of hope for the future. They have a top-10 farm system with five top-100 prospects, led by left-handed pitcher Noah Schultz (No. 10 overall).
It wouldn't be a surprise if they climb even higher in the farm-system rankings going into 2025 because they still have Garrett Crochet available to use in a potential trade during the offseason.
It's going to be a multiyear process before the White Sox are fighting for a playoff spot in the AL, but there are reasons to be optimistic. The front office will have to be patient with whomever becomes the new full-time manager because the on-field results won't immediately improve with the roster as presently constructed.
Sizemore will finish out this season for the club. A three-time All-Star as a player, he joined Grifol's staff in January. He previously worked as an intern for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023.