3 early potential candidates for the White Sox’s managerial opening: Reports originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The next hire for the White Sox’s manager position is a critical one, as the organization has gone through three different managers in the last five years, after announcing Thursday that they dismissed Pedro Grifol.
General manager Chris Getz declared Thursday the White Sox would be looking outside the organization for their next hire, saying “We are focused on candidates that are currently with organization other organizations and in uniform.”
Apart from being an outside mind, the criteria are fairly open. Getz wasn’t resistant to the idea of hiring a first-time manager (like Grifol). He’s keeping an open mind, saying “We remain open-minded to all types of candidates and all types of resumes.”
MORE: Chris Getz shares what the White Sox are looking for in their next manager
And with Getz estimating to announce a new manager sometime after the White Sox’s season ends, they have at least seven weeks to compile a list of candidates. Here are three potential candidates for the White Sox manager position, according to existing reports.
Schumaker, 44, appears to be the leading candidate in the early stages, as both USA Today’s Bob Nightengale and MLB Network’s Jon Morosi each mentioned them in early reports about the next manager.
The White Soxs next managerial hire will definitely be outside the organization and Marlins manager Skip Schumaker certainly is a strong candidate, if not the leading candidate.
Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 8, 2024
Currently the manager of the Marlins, one can assume he might need a new role, as the Miami team owns the third-worst record in baseball (43-72). He did manage the Marlins to a playoff berth in 2023, however, finishing 84-78 in the regular season but losing to the Phillies in the NL Wild Card round.
In 2017, after retiring from his 11-year playing career, Schumaker became the first base coach for the Padres, the team he last signed with before retiring. Before the 2020 season, he was promoted to the team’s associate manager.
In 2021, he was hired by the Cardinals to become the team’s bench coach for the 2022 season under Oli Marmol. After that season, he replaced Don Mattingly as the Marlins manager.
He certainly meets the criteria of an outside mind. He has a solid resume as he worked his way up the ladder to his first managerial shot over the last 1.5 seasons. His youth provides potential attraction to a White Sox roster filled with young players.
Morosi named Gibbons and Chris Fetter (the next potential candidate below) as possible options for the White Sox’s opening.
3 potential White Sox candidates:Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, whose contract expires this yearMets bench coach John Gibbons, who was Chris Getz’s final MLB managerTigers pitching coach Chris Fetter, a strong communicator and @umichbaseball alum@MLBNetwork @670TheScore
Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 8, 2024
Gibbons, 62, is the current bench coach for the Mets under manager Carlos Mendoza. He has a long career in baseball, having played in the major leagues in the 1980s and beginning his coaching career in 1990.
He started his coaching career in the Mets’ minor leagues before being hired by the Blue Jays in 2002, initially as a bullpen catcher. He worked his way up to the team’s first base coach before being promoted to manager in 2004.
Gibbons only managed two winning seasons with the Blue Jays (2006-07) over five years as the team’s manager. He was fired in 2008, becoming the bench coach for the Royals. The Padres hired him to manage their Double-A affiliate.
Gibbons eventually made his way back to Toronto, completing a six-year second stint with the team as their manager. He led the team to two consecutive playoff berths in 2015-16 but lost in the ALCS in both seasons. It was announced then in 2018 that he wouldn’t return for the 2019 season.
In 2023, he was hired as the Mets’ bench coach. His managing record stands 793-789 with a .500 record in two postseason trips.
The last Morosi pick, Fetter, 38, is currently the pitching coach for the Tigers. In June 2022, Fetter was rumored to be in contention for the head baseball coach of the University of Michigan — his alma mater — but withdrew his name from consideration.
Before the Tigers, he was the pitching coach at Ball State and Michigan in 2016 and 2017, respectively. He served as a scout for the Dodgers for two years after coaching the Padres’ Double-A affiliate for one season in 2013.
Fetter, like the other two names, is a true outsider. He doesn’t have the experience Schumaker or Gibbons have. But he’s a rising name with a strong reputation in Detroit for boosting their pitching staff.
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