The Chicago White Sox fired manager Pedro Grifol and hired Grady Sizemore as the interim manager amid one of the worst seasons in baseball history. Current Cleveland Guardians analyst and former teammate of Sizemore, Jensen Lewis gave his honest take on the hiring.
“The respect within the clubhouse that he's already garnered, it was huge in this decision. Now Chris Getz, their GM, has come out and said ‘Obviously we're gonna have a committee, we're gonna look at many candidates.'” Lewis said on Bally Sports Cleveland. “I would say that if [Sizemore] does what we know he's capable of doing as far as leading guys and putting them in great spots, he's gonna have to be in consideration.”
Lewis and Sizemore played with Cleveland together from 2007-2010. Lewis was a relief pitcher and those seasons represent his entire career in the majors. Sizemore was with the team from 2004 to 2011 and missed 2012 and 2013 with injuries.
Sizemore joined the White Sox before this season as a member of the coaching staff. He does not have experience as a hitting coach or bench coach, as Lewis also mentioned, but he has earned this position by being a part of the staff this season. With Sizemore at the helm, what can fans expect from the White Sox for the remainder of the season?
White Sox expectations after appointing Grady Sizemore
This is a lost season for the Chicago White Sox. They just tied the American League record for consecutive losses with 21 in a row. They are also on pace to lose the most games in baseball history. The team traded away a lot of their top players at the MLB trade deadline and will likely continue to do so in the offseason.
Sizemore's job will be trying to get the best out of some of the worst players in baseball this season. Andrew Benintendi signed the biggest contract in White Sox history in 2022. He has responded by putting up his two worst offensive seasons to date. Once a playoff hero for the Red Sox, he has put up his only two full seasons with below a 99 OPS+ in Chicago.
Benintendi is far from the only player who is suffering through a poor season in 2024. This has been the worst season in Luis Robert Jr's short career. He currently holds the lowest batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+ in his career. He finished 12th in MVP voting, won the Silver Slugger, and was an All-Star in 2023 but will not repeat any of those accolades this year.
Garrett Crochet is having an excellent season as their top starting pitcher. That does not mean that Sizemore can just set him in the rotation and forget about it. Crochet is arbitration-eligible at the end of the season and made trade deadline demands that kept teams away. He will likely be dealt in the offseason and the White Sox need to make sure he remains healthy. Expect innings-pitched drama to start to bubble as the season winds to a close.
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