Grady Sizemore has gravitated to this thankless job of managing the hapless White Sox, guiding them on an interim basis on this last burdensome leg of a season plodding toward the most losses by a team in the history of the game.
Who would’ve wanted this?
The former Cleveland All-Star center fielder welcomed the opportunity with open arms, but he doesn’t have much of a shot at becoming the full-time manager next season as general manager Chris Getz plans to look outside the organization.
Maybe he’s better off.
After all, what’s the appeal for an outsider, besides a salary of $1 million or more for three years?
“Every big league job is an attractive job,” Sizemore said. “You look at it as an opportunity to take something and improve off of it.”
Sizemore was speaking Wednesday in the context of Sox managerial candidates. The team is destined for another 100-loss season next year, and revised rules to discourage tanking block them again from a No. 1 overall draft pick. The farm system might be better, thanks to trades of veterans for prospects in 2023 and ’24, but it isn’t exactly stacked.
But there are only 30 manager’s jobs.
“It doesn’t really matter whether it’s a team that’s in first place or last place,” Sizemore said.
“Even though we’re struggling and not getting the wins, I’m enjoying it. I get to compete at the big-league level every night. This is what you want to do. We’re all pros here, and we want to go out and win and compete and show what we have.”
The Sox (33-114) are woefully thin on talent to show and seemingly overmatched for the task of finishing 10-5 to avoid tying the 1962 Mets record 120 losses. Perhaps they’ll look to the 2003 Tigers, who surprisingly won five of their last six games to finish with 119 losses.
After Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Guardians completing a series sweep, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf issued a statement saying everyone in the organization is extremely unhappy with the results and that the season has been very painful for all.
Sizemore’s different voice and steady presence for a clubhouse that stuck together through the pain of nonstop losing has been welcomed, although the team is 5-25 since he took over for Pedro Grifol, who was fired on Aug. 8 with a 28-89 record. The Sox lost 101 games under Grifol last season and are even thinner talent-wise now.
Through both managers, the clubhouse has remained together.
“Everybody has meshed really well,” veteran pitcher Chad Kuhl said. “It’s been truly a good clubhouse to be in.”
Sizemore, 42, brought needed change simply for the sake of change, if nothing else. His calmness and stability were welcomed by players.
“He’s been the same guy all year,” Kuhl said. “Everybody here was probably in high school or middle school when he was an All-Star, and you see a guy who has been there and done that.”
A full-time major league coach for the first time in his career in spring training, Sizemore has noticed a different vibe since he took over. He sees players hustling and working. Players were still putting early work in on days like Wednesday, an afternoon after a night game.
“Before we got here, the effort was there,” Sizemore said. “But there’s been a definite change in attitude since I’ve been here, and I give those guys all the credit.
“You see definitely an energy level in here, guys being in the box with each other, fighting with each other. It’s just in the way they go about their business. I see them having more fun. I see them laughing. I see them playing hard. That was there prior, but we’re seeing it in a different way. It looks like guys are playing a little looser and having fun.”
As fun as it can be, under these circumstances.
ATHLETICS AT SOX
Friday: Brady Rasso (0-0, 1.93 ERA) vs. Garrett Crochet (6-11, 3.83), 6:40 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM
Saturday: J.T. Quinn (0-0, 4.30) vs. Chris Flexen (2-14, 5.26), 6:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM
Sunday: JP Sears (11-10, 4.18) vs. TBA, 1:10 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM
