I wanted to give this guy his due. We've had a lot of really s%*# managers lately. Maybe they were good at good at one thing, or even a few, but they weren't good at managing the clubhouse and getting the most out of the role players. Now clearly some of that is just luck, but Will is the type of guy to PH three straight times into a HR -- you gotta respect that sort of roto managing, but he's also far from a nerd in other ways like emotional IQ:

Handles the media:

Sandlin was the prize in that transaction. After making two starts for Class A Winston-Salem and four for Triple-A Charlotte, he made a great first impression on the White Sox.

“I don’t know about surprise, you just do the best job of having an understanding of their skill set as they come up here and you want to put them in spots where you think they can succeed,” Venable said. “You never really know how that’s going to go until you get here and you’re out on the field and competing. Certainly these guys have done a great job of being ready for these moments, and credit to them and the (player development) staff for being able to dial in the right things and be prepared for the transition up here.”

“We have to be responsible about his buildup,” Venable said. “That was the first time he had the sixth up. The pitches were in a good spot. We’ll have him out there again shortly and hopefully can pitch even deeper.”

“Of course, I tried to get one more [inning],” Sandlin said. “But I knew, like, it was it after he talked to me. But after that it was just a surreal feeling.”

Protects his young starter pulling him at peak success then has a great answer in the press, just perfect. Today, had one lineup ready to go then quickly adjusted it fairly optimally when their starter was scratched.

I thought he did a great job last year too managing all the youth coming in, this year he's got a foreign import star, a half dozen guys under 26 otherwise to try and play everyday and a deep bench -- he probably thinks it's easy mode. He's doing a good job making it look that way.

Edited 17 hours ago17 hr by chitownsportsfan

There seems to be good synergy going on between the dugout and the front office. Venable drives me nuts with the bunting, like please stop doing that, but he’s on his way to becoming a really good manager.

How many times before have we seen players get called up to the show, only to look unprepared and like they didn’t belong? Guys come up now and they look like they belong, which is crucial. I’d also say that this coaching staff is maximizing the talent on the roster. Look at Tristian Peters and Tyler Davis.

16 minutes ago, Boopa1219 said:

There seems to be good synergy going on between the dugout and the front office. Venable drives me nuts with the bunting, like please stop doing that, but he’s on his way to becoming a really good manager.

How many times before have we seen players get called up to the show, only to look unprepared and like they didn’t belong? Guys come up now and they look like they belong, which is crucial. I’d also say that this coaching staff is maximizing the talent on the roster. Look at Tristian Peters and Tyler Davis.

Well said, the bunting is a little much but we've done enough right (including usually the bunting) to just say screw it. Winning papers over everything.

11 hours ago, chitownsportsfan said:

I wanted to give this guy his due. We've had a lot of really s%*# managers lately. Maybe they were good at good at one thing, or even a few, but they weren't good at managing the clubhouse and getting the most out of the role players. Now clearly some of that is just luck, but Will is the type of guy to PH three straight times into a HR -- you gotta respect that sort of roto managing, but he's also far from a nerd in other ways like emotional IQ:

Handles the media:

Protects his young starter pulling him at peak success then has a great answer in the press, just perfect. Today, had one lineup ready to go then quickly adjusted it fairly optimally when their starter was scratched.

I thought he did a great job last year too managing all the youth coming in, this year he's got a foreign import star, a half dozen guys under 26 otherwise to try and play everyday and a deep bench -- he probably thinks it's easy mode. He's doing a good job making it look that way.

The one thing I do like is that he seems to be a good people manager, and not putting someone on blast in the media, which is a nice change for an organization that seemed to like hanging it out there for the whole neighborhood to see.

I wonder about the bullpen management, line up construction, positioning, and in game strategies to give away too many outs at times that call for more aggressive play, but this could be very Getz influences in many aspects, so it isn't completely on the manager at times either.

Manager of the Year! (but without the outcome of the last Sox manager who won Manager of the Year)

He's great. He seems to be the kind of manager many of us had been begging for for years. Young, smart, and data driven. He gives us the best of Renteria but I think he's just a much better manager.

This particular handing out of flowers here is cracking me up as many of you were melting down in game chats recently about his bullpen management and especially all the bunting. The hot takes day to day and mercurial opinions make this board a fun read

I would say Venable is getting A LOT out of the team he has. There's talent, for sure, but it's young, raw talent for the most part. The few veterans sprinkled in are helping on and off the field. Grichuk fit right in, Benintendi (despite being bad at baseball) seems to be well liked, Hill is having the time of his life, and Kay is helping a young pitching staff.

Don't overlook the fact that the culture of this team has been completely overhauled with the last of the *ahem* problems traded away during the off season. And I firmly believe that Murakami has been a huge part in bringing this team together. It's amazing that a guy with limited English and Spanish fits in so well and already seems to be a leader in the clubhouse.

Venable will get a lot of credit, deservedly so, but this group of players is so tight and truly seem to like each other. That, along with the growing talent, is producing an exciting team to watch.