Sizemore grateful for new opportunity -- and White Sox happy to have him

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Grady Sizemore opened discussion concerning his new coaching position as White Sox offensive coordinator with a little bit of humor.

¡°I have to get my playcall sheet,¡± a smiling Sizemore told MLB.com. ¡°Cover my mouth up so nobody can see what we are doing.¡±

There will be no options, wishbones or pistol formations run by the White Sox under Sizemore¡¯s watch. It¡¯s not that kind of offensive coordinator.

The job actually has some latitude for Sizemore to work all across the roster, continuing a most improbable year for the 42-year-old. He began the 2024 season as a Major League coach on Pedro Grifol¡¯s staff, marking his first full-time coaching job at the big-league level, and he took over as interim manager on Aug. 8 when Grifol was dismissed.

Sizemore finished with a 13-32 record over the final 45 games, but he gave a struggling team needed boosts of injury and purpose to play better baseball in the home stretch of a 121-loss campaign. He was a candidate for the open manager¡¯s slot, went through ¡°zoom stuff and stuff in Chicago¡± during the interview process in October, but the job went to Will Venable.

Venable¡¯s selection was not a surprise for Sizemore, nor was he stunned the job didn¡¯t go to him.

¡°Will is obviously the right guy,¡± Sizemore said. ¡°I¡¯m still really new to coaching. I still have a lot to learn. I¡¯m grateful to have that experience and to know what going through an interview process would look like. But I¡¯m happy where I¡¯m at, and now [in his new position] where I continue to learn from these guys.

¡°Will has been around a long time, and he¡¯s kind of been in the front office and coached. It¡¯s a good opportunity for me to learn from him and take the next step. I didn¡¯t expect much. I would have been more shocked if I had got it.

¡°At the same time, I was grateful for just the opportunity when I had the interim side, and to go through the experience. I knew it was a long shot. I was also kind of excited to just see what that process looks like. If my number is called one day, at least I¡¯m a little bit more comfortable.¡±

In one of Venable¡¯s first interviews after getting the White Sox job, he mentioned wanting Sizemore on his staff. Venable communicated that same idea directly, according to Sizemore, when he was hired. Sizemore also was told the White Sox wanted him to be part of the organization, regardless of how the managerial search ended up.

Freedom exists for Sizemore to work with hitting coach Marcus Thames, assistant hitting coach Joel McKeithan and director of hitting Ryan Fuller, as well as implementing what Venable and bench coach Walker McKinven want while he gameplans.

¡°This is open for me to kind of create opportunities where I see,¡± Sizemore said. ¡°It¡¯s giving me some freedom to kind of just build off what I did last year, add a little bit more and have a little bit more voice in how we do things, and how we want to attack and put our guys in the best position.¡±

¡°We¡¯re going to lean on him to where maybe it won¡¯t just be offensive stuff. He¡¯s just so knowledgeable about the game,¡± Venable said of Sizemore. ¡°He¡¯s going to be a real resource.¡±

White Sox players are equally excited to have Sizemore remain on their coaching staff. He formed a real connection with this group in 2024, with right-handed pitcher Jonathan Cannon praising the decisions he made in the dugout and talking about Sizemore shagging fly balls and talking to players in the outfield during batting practice even after he took over.

While the team¡¯s record isn¡¯t the best indicator of his impact, Sizemore¡¯s managerial stretch will go down as an important part of this ongoing rebuild.

¡°I love Grady. I thought he was a really good presence in the clubhouse,¡± Cannon said. ¡°It¡¯s just one of those benefits you get from a guy like Grady who has been around the game for so long, even though he didn¡¯t have that managerial experience. Just to have that almost player-first mentality, we all respected him a lot and really enjoyed having his presence in the dugout and clubhouse.¡±

¡°As bad as it was and as rough a season it was, it was some of the most fun times I¡¯ve had in baseball those last couple of months. I say it all the time,¡± Sizemore said. ¡°I was proud of the players. I thought they handled a tough situation very well.¡±