Sox fire Katz and Thames

[caulfield12]

https://www.lonestarball.com/latest-news/87017/bruce-bochy-will-not-be-back-in-2026

Nobody clamoring for Venable in Texas after on the job training with Sox.

Bochy back to SF to replace Melvin?

Reunited with Posey?

 

Tony Beasley, a holdover from Jeff Banister's staff, a solid candidate.

[PaleAleSox]

8 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

https://www.lonestarball.com/latest-news/87017/bruce-bochy-will-not-be-back-in-2026

Nobody clamoring for Venable in Texas after on the job training with Sox.

Bochy back to SF to replace Melvin?

Reunited with Posey?

 

Tony Beasley, a holdover from Jeff Banister's staff, a solid candidate.

No one seems to think Venable going to manage the Texas Rangers after one year is even something to give a thought to except you. 

[caulfield12]

45 minutes ago, PaleAleSox said:

No one seems to think Venable going to manage the Texas Rangers after one year is even something to give a thought to except you. 

We heard how Venable was the greatest thing since sliced bread a year ago...

Wasn't he the bench coach under Bochy for a World Series winner just two years ago???

And interviewed for multiple jobs but turned down at least one team?

[TheFutureIsNear]

Just seems like weird timing. Why not fire them before the season when you hired a new head coach?

I just don’t like the idea of calling up all of “the kids” and then having them adjust to new coaching in the off-season.

Let’s just hope they seek the best available coaches from any/all resources (aka not within the organization) to further develop these young players.

 

[WhiteSox2023]

23 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

We heard how Venable was the greatest thing since sliced bread a year ago...

Wasn't he the bench coach under Bochy for a World Series winner just two years ago???

And interviewed for multiple jobs but turned down at least one team?

I’m sure the Rangers will shoot higher than a manager who just finished with 102 losses.

[caulfield12]

2 minutes ago, TheFutureIsNear said:

Just seems like weird timing. Why not fire them before the season when you hired a new head coach?

I just don’t like the idea of calling up all of “the kids” and then having them adjust to new coaching in the off-season.

Let’s just hope they seek the best available coaches from any/all resources (aka not within the organization) to further develop these young players.

 

We're going to pay 10-25% premium over market rates for the best coaches to join the second worst organization in baseball?

Will believe it when I see it.

[caulfield12]

2 minutes ago, WhiteSox2023 said:

I’m sure the Rangers will shoot higher than a manager who just finished with 102 losses.

But he has an Ivy League background...

[GreenSox]

I liked Katz as a coach.  
Not really surprised though based up the fleeting glimpses that I've seen of his interactions with Venable in the dugout.

Surprised about Santos.  The Knights are terrible, but that whole place is ridiculous.

[BigHurt3515]

Do we need some new coaching? Sure.

Is that the biggest issue of this team? Not even close

[Stinky Stanky]

Betcha a lemon cookie that they already have people in mind.  Tampering?    Not our Sox.

[nrockway]

31 minutes ago, Stinky Stanky said:

Betcha a lemon cookie that they already have people in mind.  Tampering?    Not our Sox.

nothing about this post makes any sense to me. starting with the lemon cookie, to 'tampering' to the implication that the sox are constantly tampering. is it a black sox reference?

why a lemon cookie? is that even something people say? i don't think that's an expression. 

Edited September 30 by nrockway

[greg775]

Katz's pitching staff was sub par for the most part. He had not much to work with however especially some bullpen pieces. He'll be better off if he can land somewhere else. He must have not impressed the higher ups with his instructing players. He should go out a lion and blast what he had to work with on the talk shows.

[caulfield12]

South Side Hit Men

 

1 hour ago

 

"If Will has two more years, that should be the term of any new coaching hires, and that should be the case go forward, so the Sox can avoid the previous decades worth of hand-me-down coaches, clubhouse snitches, and other assorted cronies passed from fired managers to new managers.

 

I'm not convinced Will / Getz is the answer, and hope they prove otherwise. The bar in many comments and articles seems to compare whether they are better than TLR/Grifol/Hahn, among the worst in the history of MLB during their tenures here.

 

The expectation needs to be is the managerial and front office staff (be) better than the majority of the league. Will never happen on the business side with Brooks Boyer Jerry's permanent crony. Have reasonable expectations, especially with the miserly ownership. but demonstrable continued improvement needs to happen for them to even think about sniffing .500 even in the horseshit AL Central, where all payrolls go to die..."

 

https://soxmachine.com/2025/09/ethan-katz-marcus-thames-among-coaches-let-go-as-white-sox-begin-staff-shakeup

 

Let's hope they do a comprehensive/exhaustive search instead of just declaring Matt Wise the new pitching coach...

Edited September 30 by caulfield12

[Boopa1219]

I’m shocked that Katz is gone.

He’s had nothing to really work with the past couple of years, especially in the bullpen and I think he’s done a good job at developing pitchers at the ML level for them during his time here. A part of me would rather see him in Bannister’s role than Bannister.

5 hours ago, maxjusttyped said:

I don't think it's normal for a typical pitching coach/organization to have similar before & after results Katz had with guys like Giolito, Crochet, Cease and Rodon. Every time he had success with a legitimately talented pitcher they were traded away. Fedde's career basically fell apart (again) after the Sox traded him away, FWIW. Whether you want to credit Bannister or Katz for his success is a fair question.

Katz generated a lot of value for the Sox with the assets they were able to get back in trades for the arms he developed at the ML level. I’m curious to see who the hire is there, I imagine it’s Bannister’s recommendation, and it better be a good one.

***********
Im glad Grady Sizemore is sticking around, shocked they didn’t move him to the FO last winter but I’m glad they’re doing it now. I’m glad they’re doing it now.

I guess Fuller is bringing in his own hitting coach, he should and not Venable imo. Pitching and Hitting coaches should always be GM hires if you ask me.

[joejoesox]

about fucking time 

[caulfield12]

One thing's for sure.

Katz will get another job in baseball.

 

Unlike KW Hahn Haber Grifol Vizquel.

[Y2Jimmy0]

10 hours ago, caulfield12 said:

Watch Venable leave to replace Bochy if he retires from Texas...guess most wouldn't be all that upset one way or the other.

Would rather see Schiffren jettisoned.

Will Venable isn’t going anywhere. He’s just getting his own guys. 

[The Mighty Mite]

I had mixed feelings with Katz, I wasn’t happy when he was hired and I’m OK with him gone but he did good work with the starters this season but the bullpen was a disaster, please Getz go out there and hire the best that you can find. 
I also have mixed feelings with Venable, so if he’s not going anywhere I hope he learns from a lot of mistakes in his rookie season as manager. His bullpen management could have been better and I also think he went the safe route on lefty- righty situations too many times with both our hitters and pitchers, sometimes you have let instincts take over. The positive is that the team played hard for him, we have a good bunch of players with no real jerks. It could have been very easy to just let the season play out but these guys busted their butts to the last out in the last game and some credit goes to Venable. 

Bottom line on all of this is when Ishbia takes over my guess is everybody will be gone, we have to remember this still one the worst organizations in professional sports.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 30 by The Mighty Mite

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

6 hours ago, Boopa1219 said:

I’m shocked that Katz is gone.

He’s had nothing to really work with the past couple of years, especially in the bullpen and I think he’s done a good job at developing pitchers at the ML level for them during his time here. A part of me would rather see him in Bannister’s role than Bannister.

Katz generated a lot of value for the Sox with the assets they were able to get back in trades for the arms he developed at the ML level. I’m curious to see who the hire is there, I imagine it’s Bannister’s recommendation, and it better be a good one.

***********
Im glad Grady Sizemore is sticking around, shocked they didn’t move him to the FO last winter but I’m glad they’re doing it now. I’m glad they’re doing it now.

I guess Fuller is bringing in his own hitting coach, he should and not Venable imo. Pitching and Hitting coaches should always be GM hires if you ask me.

Why would a GM be the decider of hitting/pitching coaches. That's not how it works basically anywhere.

[Boopa1219]

11 minutes ago, Look at Ray Ray Run said:

Why would a GM be the decider of hitting/pitching coaches. That's not how it works basically anywhere.

Those coaches usually play a role in how pitching/hitting is taught throughout the organization. I think the new pitching/hitting coaches should be recommended by Fuller and Bannister, and not Venable since they’re the ones who outline how hitting and pitching is taught throughout the org. 

[tray]

Venable filled out 102 lineup cards that lost every one of those games. Katz and Venable also managed a bullpen that was responsible for many of those losses.  Venable seemed to lack the intensity that some mlb managers have. My own opinion is that he was too passive in certain key late inning situations. Way too many first and second, no outs trailing by a run and the Sox come up empty. Of course it isn't all his fault, but the buck stops at the top. 

Also recall the games where the Sox take a late inning lead and in the next inning the Sox reliever comes in (trying to hold the lead)  and instead starts doling out walks.

Part of that is on Venable and Katz. 

Edited September 30 by tray

[spiderman]

14 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

Katz surprises me with all of the praise he had been getting up until now.

I never know how good our positional coaches (in any sport) truly are. When things are going well and the team is winning, everyone is smart, and the daggers come out when teams stink. In Chicago, the media overhypes anyone who is able to speak and can put together a complete sentence. They call these people "one of the best" in their roles, but probably couldn't name the same coach on 25 other teams. 

Not saying Katz is good or bad, just always find it humorous to see how the media overrates coaches who speak to them.

[spiderman]

20 minutes ago, tray said:

Venable filled out 102 lineup cards that lost every one of those games. Katz and Venable also managed a bullpen that was responsible for many of those losses.  Venable seemed to lack the intensity that some mlb managers have. My own opinion is that he was too passive in certain key late inning situations. Way too many first and second, no outs trailing by a run and the Sox come up empty. Of course it isn't all his fault, but the buck stops at the top. 

Also recall the games where the Sox take a late inning lead and in the next inning the Sox reliever comes in (trying to hold the lead)  and instead starts doling out walks.

Part of that is on Venable and Katz. 

The bullpen is brutal. They didn't have many good options and the pitchers didn't perform.

[SCCWS]

2 minutes ago, spiderman said:

I never know how good our positional coaches (in any sport) truly are. When things are going well and the team is winning, everyone is smart, and the daggers come out when teams stink. In Chicago, the media overhypes anyone who is able to speak and can put together a complete sentence. They call these people "one of the best" in their roles, but probably couldn't name the same coach on 25 other teams. 

Not saying Katz is good or bad, just always find it humorous to see how the media overrates coaches who speak to them.

I assume JR will be calling La Russa to see if he has a place in the organization next spring................................

[Lip Man 1]

Heard from a source this morning on the firings. Didn't reach out to them on this so I was a little surprised. They provided some insight into the situation to help clarify.

Take it for what you think it is worth:

"For all my criticism of the White Sox, I applaud the firing of their coaches today. 

 

Good riddance to Ethan Katz. One of my Giants sources referred to him three years ago as “High School Harry,” said he milked his distinction as HS pitching coach for Flaherty, Giolito and Fried. Was told by a Sox source in the middle of 2023 that Grifol wanted his own pitching coach but was denied. My sense is that the hiring of Brian Bannister, who worked with Katz in KC, saved his bacon for a while. Katz was viewed as the anti-Don Cooper, so he got a long runway from James Fegan, the Comcast/CHSN groupies and radio clowns.

After the firings of Grifol and his buddy Mike Tosar, Mike Gellinger was promoted to his spot. After the season when Venable came on board, Thames felt somewhat threatened by Gellinger’s presence, so Gelly went back to his former role as minor league hitting coach. Gellinger was Konerko’s guy. Last winter Cleveland asked and was granted permission to talk to Gelly, but they found out Gelly makes a lot of money. 

Never understood the love for Katz, now they need to get rid of Gene Watson. Losing 511 games in five years is no reason to be employed.

 

Here’s his losses over the last five years:

 

Year Team Losses

2021 Angels  85

2022 KC  97

2023 KC 106

2024 CWS 121

2025 CWS  102

 

“Has one of the worst reputations in baseball.” - Former MLB executive"