White Sox could hire reigning Manager of the Year to fill coaching vacancy

There isn't much to be excited about as a Chicago White Sox fan at the moment, but hiring a new manager is always reason for cautious optimism.

After firing former skipper Pedro Grifol on Thursday, the White Sox, owners of the worst record in Major League Baseball, have a vacancy to fill at the end of the bench. At 28-89 entering play Saturday, it will surely be a long-term project to manage this bunch.

Given that the White Sox have very little established major-league talent, the new manager would likely have to be someone committed to a true rebuild. Perhaps they will even prioritize candidates who have been in such situations with previous teams.

One such candidate is Skip Schumaker, the second-year manager of the Miami Marlins. R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports ranked Schumaker number one on his list of potential candidates to fill Grifol's position.

Anderson believes whether Schumaker takes the role will be more contingent on whether the reigning National League Manager of the Year has other options than the White Sox's interest in hiring him.

"The questions are whether or not Schumaker will be willing to babysit another young, developing roster -- and if he'll have much choice," Anderson said.

In addition to his Manager of the Year trophy, Schumaker led the Marlins to an unexpected playoff berth, locking down a Wild Card spot on the second-to-last day of the regular season.

However, even if there wasn't much Schumaker could have done about it, the Marlins have nosedived in 2024, currently sporting the second-worst record in baseball behind the White Sox themselves.

Though Schumaker has a strong resume with Miami, he was not hired by the current front office. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix took over Miami's front office this past offseason, replacing Kim Ng, who was responsible for hiring Schumaker.

Given that the season is still in progress, it is unclear how many other managerial openings may exist, and whether or not Schumaker prefers other destinations. But it's helpful for the White Sox to start mulling their options, and it is clear Schumaker is worth considering.

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