With their season trending toward historically awful, the Chicago White Sox have fired manager Pedro Grifol, the team announced Thursday. Grady Sizemore has been named the interim manager for the rest of the 2024 season.
"As we all recognize, our team's performance this season has been disappointing on many levels," GM Chris Getz said in a statement. "Despite the on-field struggles and lack of success, we appreciate the effort and professionalism Pedro and the staff brought to the ballpark every day. These two seasons have been very challenging. Unfortunately, the results were not there, and a change is necessary as we look to our future and the development of a new energy around the team."
The White Sox also fired bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third-base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar. In their places, Doug Sisson (bench coach), Justin Jirschele (third-base coach) and Mike Gellinger (assistant hitting coach) have been promoted.
Grifol, 54, was in his second season as White Sox manager. It was his first managerial job at the big-league level. The White Sox disappointed in 2023, going 61-101 rather than bounce back from an 81-81 record in 2022. New GM Chris Getz began to tear the roster down and rebuild this past offseason. As a result, Chicago is a ghastly 28-89, easily the worst record in MLB.
With less than two months to play, the White Sox are on pace to lose more than 120 games, which would be the most in a single season in baseball history. Starter Erick Fedde, closer Michael Kopech, and outfielder Tommy Pham were among those traded away at the July 30 trade deadline. The team on the field now has less talent than the team that went 27-71 in the first half.
Already twice this year the White Sox have set a new record for the longest losing streak in franchise history. They dropped 14 straight games from May 22 to June 6, and just snapped a 21-game losing streak. It was tied for the longest losing streak in baseball since the Phillies lost 23 consecutive games in 1961.
"I think I am. I really do," Grifol said recently when asked whether he believes he's a good manager (via MLB.com). "And I think managing is motivating people to play and work hard every single day. I think managing is preparing and making good decisions and serving people and including people. It's not up for me to decide. I don't make decisions on whether I'm a good manager or not. That's for other people to decide."
Grifol finishes his White Sox career with an 89-190 (.319) record in two seasons. Prior to managing Chicago, he spent a decade with the AL Central rival Kansas City Royals, working his way from minor-league coach to big-league catching coach, assistant hitting coach, and, eventually, bench coach.
The White Sox said a search for a new permanent manager will begin immediately but a replacement will not be announced until after the season. CBS Sports has suggested some possible options.
Sizemore, a first-year member of the White Sox coaching staff, spent parts of 10 years in the majors as a player on the Guardians, Phillies, Rays and Red Sox, racking up three All-Star Games and two Gold Gloves. The 42-year-old Washington native served briefly as a special advisor in Cleveland's player development department before taking time off to raise his family. In 2023, he took a $15-an-hour internship with the Diamondbacks.
"There's no position or situation those guys have been in that I haven't gone through," Sizemore told The Athletic in January. "Hopefully I can relate to those guys and find a way to help. To learn from my journey, the good things I did, the bad, the mistakes. Learn from it and be a better person, be a better man."
