CHICAGO -- Lucas Giolito joined new White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz during a Zoom call Tuesday to discuss Tony La Russa’s first staff for his second managerial tenure on the South Side of Chicago.

This Zoom pairing was not by coincidence. Giolito, who turns 27 this July, has known Katz since he was 15 and Katz was coaching Giolito at Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles.

When it became apparent the White Sox needed a pitching coach, Giolito spoke to the team’s front office and Katz about what to expect on what he hoped would be the ultimate connection.

“At the end of the day, I just wanted to be completely honest on both ends,” Giolito said. “Letting the people know in the front office who make those decisions what I think Ethan brings to the table, and that was about it. Once Ethan was able to get in the door and have an interview, he took it from there.

“Then on the other side, even before Ethan got the job, I was pretty much expecting him to do well and kind of lock it up just because I know how good he is at his job. I was letting him know, ‘Hey this guy on the team and this guy on the team, he’ll be able to benefit from what you bring to the table in this area. This guy will benefit from maybe something you showed me a couple of years ago.’ I’m just excited for us to get working now.”

Katz, 37, becomes a Major League pitching coach for the first time after serving as the assistant pitching coach with the San Francisco Giants in 2020. He joined the Giants' organization prior to the '19 season as the assistant pitching coordinator and has coached every level of Minor League Baseball but Triple-A between previous stops with the Angels and Mariners.

There already have been talks between Katz and some of the White Sox hurlers, including young pitchers such as Michael Kopech, Dane Dunning and Dylan Cease. Katz helped Giolito totally turn things around in the offseason following a dismal 2018 campaign, and he now hopes to maximize the strengths of this talented crew.

“We’ve got some stuff brewing,” Katz said. “I’m thrilled. This is a dream come true to be able to get an opportunity to be a big league pitching coach. Obviously, with our background, it’s even more exciting to be reconnected again [with Giolito].”

Bench coach Miguel Cairo and analytics coordinator Shelley Duncan also were new hires, with Duncan’s position new to the coaching staff. But there was continuity tied to the 2020 staff, which propelled the White Sox to a 35-25 record and its first playoff appearance since '08. That continuity was important to La Russa, according to his comments at an introductory Zoom news conference on Oct. 29.

Joe McEwing, who served as bench coach and worked with the infielders under previous manager Rick Renteria, returned as the third-base coach. He did an exceptional job in that role under manager Robin Ventura from 2012-16. McEwing forged a close bond with Renteria but has a similar strong relationship with La Russa, who managed McEwing in St. Louis during the 1998 and '99 seasons.

Daryl Boston once again will serve as first-base coach, marking his ninth season in that role while also overseeing the outfielders. Frank Menechino enters his second season as hitting coach, with the 2020 White Sox leading the American League in home runs (96), slugging percentage (.453) and run differential (+60) and finishing second in average (.261), runs scored (306) and OPS (.779).

Howie Clark takes over as assistant hitting coach after being hired as the 2020 Triple-A Charlotte hitting coach before the cancellation of the Minor League season. Clark served as the Orioles’ assistant hitting coach from 2017-19.

Curt Hasler begins his fifth season as the White Sox assistant pitching coach. He previously worked with pitching coach Don Cooper, who was let go by the White Sox after last season, and Giolito had high praise for Hasler and his progressive mindset.

“I’m really glad that he’s staying in the assistant pitching coach role. He brings a big level of comfort to our pitching staff, starting staff and bullpen,” Giolito said. “When analytics started to become bigger in our organization, 'Has' kind of took it upon himself to really dive into that and start experimenting in that area with a bunch of the pitchers.

“That’s going to be continued alongside of Ethan and the rest of our analytics department. He’s got a great relationship with all of us. And being able to have that, which has been built over the last few years, is going to be a hugely important.”