White Sox replace manager Robin Ventura with Rick Renteria
The White Sox have named Rick Renteria their new manager, replacing Robin Ventura, the team announced Monday. Ventura, who took over before the 2012 season, announced on Sunday that he would not return as manager after a year in which his team finished 78–84, Chicago's fourth straight losing season.
The Chicago Sun-Timesfirst reported the news, adding that Renteria would be Ventura’s likely replacement.
Ventura, who is in the last year of his contract, has led the White Sox to a 375–435 record over his five years with the club. He declined to address the report after Chicago’s 6–0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night.
“We’ve been over this,” Ventura said. “I’ll talk at the end of the year.”
“You guys are telling me something I haven't even heard about,” third baseman Todd Frazier said Saturday, adding, “I love Robin. I love him to death. He’s a good manager, for sure.”
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Earlier this season, Ventura said he wanted to return in 2017 but then backtracked on that statement after USA Today reported Wednesday that the White Sox' front office wanted to retain him but that Ventura hadn’t committed.
Frazier praised the 54-year-old Renteria, who went 73–89 in one season with the Cubs in 2014. The White Sox hired him as the team's bench coach before the 2016 season.
“Rick’s a great guy, man,” Frazier said. “He’s bilingual, which is great. He’s been a manager before. But like I said, it’s not my right to say anything. I haven’t heard anything and that’s basically up to our brass so I’m not going to get in trouble.”
After the 2014 season, the Cubs announced that Renteria would return for a second year at the helm, but he was fired and replaced by Joe Maddon, who had opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays in the off-season.
“I don’t feel like we treated him entirely fairly,” Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said last year, according to ESPN.com. “Ricky deserved better. I’m glad he gets a chance with the White Sox.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
