How Venable helped bring winning culture back to South Side

CHICAGO – Chris Sale knows baseball.

Sale also knows baseball excellence. Just check out his vast list of accomplishments over 16 years for references.

When Sale talks about White Sox manager Will Venable, people really should listen.

“Just the way he’s even-keel. He’s never going to really be overwhelmed. I just think he can relate to anybody from anywhere,” Sale told MLB.com during the Braves’ recent stop at Rate Field. “When I saw he got the job here, I knew things were going to be on the up and up … I thought this was a good move.”

Venable was the Red Sox bench coach in 2021-22, so Sale has first-hand knowledge of the present White Sox leader. His positive opinion is shared by many beyond one of the game’s top competitors.

The White Sox hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Guardians in the American League Central with 29 games to play, as their playoff push resumes Friday night at Target Field with the first of three against the Twins. Their exciting young players are battling through some signs of fatigue brought about by their first foray into this 162-game schedule and the pressure of sitting on top of the division for 75 days, even for a laid-back, fun-loving team.

But the right man to guide them through the final month into the postseason is Venable. One day at a time, stick with what has gotten them to this point.

“There’s no shying away from the position we are in,” Venable told MLB.com during a recent interview. “I understand the questions and these are the things that we are going to be talking about. I’m so proud of our group and happy to be in the position that we are talking about.

“We also have to figure out how for it not to be a distraction. There is an objective and it is to win tonight and that’s all there is. It’s going to be up to me and the leadership in our group, in our player group, to find a way to be focused. These are real conversations and questions we need to have answered.”

Questions were answered as recently as the Texas series, when the White Sox had a rough opening Monday performance in an 11-2 loss to the Rangers, with Tristan Peters and Miguel Vargas speaking of the team’s rare low energy postgame. They said things would be different on Tuesday, and the White Sox won the final two games of the series.

A specific culture was set by Venable during the 2025 season, playing hard, playing for each other, with a narrow focus. The players ran with this culture.

“I thought he was great. He gave me and a lot of my teammates a lot of confidence. He instilled that in us,” said Mets outfielder Luis Robert Jr., who played for Venable in ’25, through interpreter Alan Suriel. “He said, ‘Just go out there and play hard, have fun,’ and I just really liked how he motivated the players.”

“Keeping these guys on-line, it’s one of those things why we are here. Support these guys to be at their best,” Venable said. “You just need people around you to tell you, you are doing a good job and that they believe in you. That’s part of our job, too.”

Chris Getz has hit on many moves, many a process indoctrination, many an organizational change since taking over as White Sox general manager. Hiring Venable prior to the ’25 season is the most spot-on decision of the group.

Assistant general manager Josh Barfield told MLB.com it was a grueling hiring process almost two years ago. There were somewhere around 10 candidates who they thought could become manager and do a good job, Barfield estimated, when they thought going in there might be one or two.

“It was an enlightening process,” Barfield said. “But looking back, we got that one right.

“What he’s meant to this team, this organization. The atmosphere he’s created in the clubhouse, the way the players respect him, the way he has been a great partner on this side.”

Getz and Barfield's hire is now the favorite for AL Manager of the Year. He also is leading the South Siders toward their first playoff berth since ’21.

“Unbelievable human being to spend every single day with,” White Sox bench coach Walker McKinven said. “That makes it fun, and that makes it easy to promote a good working environment for not only me but everyone here – players, coaches, support staff. Will's energy and Will's demeanor just kind of trickles out to the entire organization.”

“So often you see the guy who takes you through the rebuild is not the guy who gets to take you to the finish line,” Barfield said. “We felt strongly he was qualified and [would] be really good at doing both. So far, he’s proven us right.”