Chicago White Sox Name Former A's Player as Minor League Manager

Jun 4, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Chad Pinder (10) throws the ball after leaning over the tarp for a foul ball against the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Chicago White Sox have a new manager in their ranks, with their High-A affiliate, the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers announcing that former A's utility-man Chad Pinder will take over as the team's manager in 2025. MLB.com's Martín Gallegos responded to the news on social media by saying, "Bob Melvin always said Chad Pinder would be a manager one day. The premonition has come true."

We are stoked to welcome the 2025 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers Field Staff to K-Town and Atrium Health Ballpark! #ForKTown

Read more about the 2025 staff here:https://t.co/eiInEP4aLN pic.twitter.com/q9pb6bq88B

— Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (@Kcannonballers) January 16, 2025

Pinder, who retired in 2023 after a stint in the minors with the Gwinnett Stripers, is still just 32 years old. He was a big part of the last A's playoff teams, along with Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, and Khris Davis. When he announced his retirement in '23, the Atlanta Braves just happened to be in Oakland, and Olson had nothing but positive things to say about his former teammate.

Pinder was certainly beloved in that clubhouse.

He really broke out in 2018, playing in 110 games and racking up a 115 wRC+, along with 1.9 fWAR, but he was unable to follow up that success the next year, and then injuries started taking over as his production declined. He was still roughly a league average player for a couple of seasons, but in his final year with the A's in 2022, he posted an 85 wRC+.

He told Brodie Brazil that he always felt that if he felt that he could be a bigger asset off the field than on it, that he'd step away. He also said that even when he was having success in the minors during his final year, he was searching for his "why," but his "why" was at home with his wife and kids. Of the decision to retire, he said "it wasn't as hard as you think."

Since retiring, Pinder has done some work with the Ballengee Group. He was also on hand for an alumni event during the course of the 2024 farewell season in Oakland.

While Pinder wasn't a superstar in the big leagues, he was a key, versatile cog in the A's playoff runs from 2018-20. He found a way to get himself regular playing time by making himself valuable just about anywhere on the field. Those types of lessons could have an impact in the minors as he helps to groom the next group of Chicago White Sox of the future.

In his interview with Brazil on the A's pregame show back in 2023, Pinder also talked about how much he loved the clubhouse dynamic, not only with the A's, where he played with a number of his best friends, but in general. That certainly sounds like someone that will be establishing good clubhouse chemistry and teaching his players in Kannapolis about more than on-the-field ways to be better baseball players.