White Sox Name Robin Ventura New Manager

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Oct 6, 2011 9:20PM

The White Sox announced the hiring of their new manager this afternoon. They did not go with former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, as some speculated they might. Instead, owner Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Kenny Williams went with another former White Sox player. But not Dave Martinez or Sandy Alomar, coaches who both saw their names mentioned as possible successors to Ozzie Guillen.

Instead, the South Siders have handed the managerial job to Robin Ventura, who played third base for the White Sox from 1989 until 1998. He retired from baseball in 2004 after stints with the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers. During his playing career, he won six Gold Glove Awards and was a two time All-Star.

In announcing the decision to hire Robin to manage the team, Williams stated, “I wanted someone who met very specific criteria centered around his leadership abilities. Robin Ventura was that man."

The choice is stunning in that Ventura has never coached or managed before. He joined the White Sox organization last June as special adviser to Buddy Bell, the team's director of player development. So in some ways, this hiring echos Reinsdorf's decision to hire Vinny Del Negro to coach the Bulls a few years back. We hope that the hiring wasn't done simply to keep costs down, and that the familiarity with Ventura inside the organization means they know what they're getting.

Said Ventura in a statement, “I am excited to begin my career as a manager surrounded by former teammates, staff, media and White Sox fans I know very well. I already am looking forward to talking to our players, to this off-season and to getting things underway at spring training next February."