Renteria leads Chicago his way into contention

Third-year manager opens up about his coaching philosophy

August 8th, 2019

CHICAGO -- Rick Renteria doesn’t have a Twitter account or social media presence.

So, for those who question the White Sox manager’s lineup decisions or his usage of the bunt in game situations, well, Renteria doesn’t see those critiques. And if he does hear them, Renteria wouldn’t change his everyday convictions based on public outcry.

This was one of many topics addressed by Renteria during a recent 10-minute interview with MLB.com.

“I have to do it based on what I see with the club I have. We take into account a lot of different things we look at before we start a ballgame,” Renteria said. “I think that if everybody could do what I do, or what any of my coaches do, they’d be doing it. That is not to insult those who question or criticize. That’s the beauty of what we bring to the table.

“We want them to be absorbed and take advantage of all the things they have available to them to give you commentary, to give you their opinion. They are also the same people on the one hand that might criticize you but probably the same who are giving you accolades.

“You take it with a grain of salt,” Renteria said. “I welcome it. I don’t necessarily … . Nobody likes to be criticized, I’m sure. But I don’t really think about it too much because I have too much to concern myself with.”

The 57-year-old Renteria is in his third year as manager of the White Sox and fourth as part of the organization. A higher character individual than the outgoing Renteria would be difficult to find, but fans don’t want their manager to be charming. They want him to preside over a winner, which Renteria has not come close to seeing with the White Sox.

In total fairness to Renteria, and with all due respect to the players currently working diligently, the rebuilding White Sox really haven’t been designed to win during Renteria’s tenure. But that winning window is getting closer to opening, with the arrival of Eloy Jimenez, Dylan Cease and Michael Kopech, the development of Tim Anderson and Lucas Giolito, to name a few, and the not-too-distant promotions of top prospects such as Luis Robert and Nick Madrigal.

Regarding the five-tool Robert and the baseball savvy Madrigal, Renteria laughed but wouldn’t answer when asked directly if they both belonged with the White Sox today. He did talk about young players’ benefits derived from being in the big leagues, which holds especially true if the White Sox can contend at some level in ’20.

“It’s extremely impactful to them,” Renteria said. “It’s a positive impact in terms of [going] through some negative outcome things of that nature, but they learn, and they understand. I always tell them in Spring Training, you are the best of the best, and you are competing against the best of the best. It’s not an easy realm to work.

“They all have high skill-sets and were the best where they came from. But they have to learn how to compete and learn how to adjust and deal with failure and not get too overwhelmed with successes and kind of laugh at yourself every now and then. Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously and I think that hurts.”

Renteria enjoys his work, but the greatest pleasure is derived from watching his players develop and his team improve. It’s all directed toward a goal of building something with a positive impact on the South Side of Chicago, and something that’s sustainable.

When that winning time arrives, Renteria almost certainly will be the man in charge. The White Sox didn’t hire him to restructure this organization’s culture, only to move him when the going gets good. The situation will change in terms of the White Sox competitiveness but look for Renteria to stay true to what he believes.

“Everybody wants to win. At the end of the day, most people react on that -- win or lose,” Renteria said. “And in retrospect you could have done something that worked out well, and everything is ok. You do the same thing the next day and it doesn’t work out well and it’s ‘What are you doing?’

“To be honest, I try not to get too high or too low in any streak, positive or negative, because it’s such a long season. There are too many variables involved in the successes a club has.”