Longtime Royals coach, Pedro Grifol, is expected to be named the 42nd manager in White Sox history according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. An official announcement is expected to come sometime next week.
Ken Rosenthal later confirmed the story adding that a number of coaches will not be asked back. Pitching coach Ethan Katz was the lone coach expected to return.
Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes was the first to report that the White Sox were eyeing Pedro Grifol to fill their open managerial position three weeks ago. Grifol interviewed with the team back in October. Grifol is currently the Royals’ bench coach, a role he has held for three seasons. Before that, he served as the Royals’ quality control, catching, hitting, and special assignment coach.
Pedro Grifol, longtime coach with the Royals, is expected to be the next White Sox manager, an announcement that could come later this week.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 1, 2022
The 52-year-old has been in the Royals organization for the past ten seasons. Prior to getting promoted to the major league staff, he served as a coach and manager in the minor leagues. He coached in Low-A ball from 2003-2005 and posted a winning 115-113 record. He then managed the High Desert Mavericks in High-A during the 2012 season, guiding them to an impressive 83-57 record.
Sources confirm: Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol expected to be named next White Sox manager. A number of White Sox coaches not being asked back. Pitching coach Ethan Katz expected to return. First on Grifol: @Buster_ESPN
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 1, 2022
Grifol is also a former catcher who played in the minor leagues for nine seasons in the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets organizations. Former catchers tend to make good managers. On top of the White Sox job, he has interviewed with the Miami Marlins and Kansas City Royals.
During his end-of-season press conference, Rick Hahn said that one of the traits he is looking for in a manager is an excellent communicator.
During a 2019 interview with KNBR, Gallagher talked about how Grifols controlled the room.
“Especially the guys who were coming up and didn’t necessarily speak good English — maybe were on the fence of going up to certain coaches or were a little nervous,” said Gallagher. “Maybe afraid to go up and voice their opinion with some of the major league coaches. But [Grifol] would always get with the Latin guys and make them feel comfortable.”
Another advantage to hiring Grifol is that he has been in the division for the past decade. He has all the scouting reports on the AL Central. This can help provide an outsider’s perspective on how opponents are attacking the White Sox’s strengths and weaknesses.
What Grifol lacks is experience managing at the highest level. Hahn emphasized experience during his press conference. That is the one thing that Grifol can’t provide. However, he has been in the dugout for a long time and has been a part of winning teams which was enough for Hahn and the front office.
Grifol will replace Tony La Russa who was forced to step away at the end of the 2022 season due to health concerns.
