Will Venable Named AL Manager of the Year Finalist

White Sox manager Will Venable has been selected as a finalist for the American League Manager of the Year award. The announcement follows a regular season in which the club won 84 games and secured a playoff berth for the first time in five years. Chicago advanced to the American League Division Series and lost Game 5, falling one victory short of the league championship game.

Venable is in his second season as skipper. In 2024, he managed a team that finished with the worst record in Major League Baseball history. The 2025 season saw a 19-win improvement. This year, the White Sox added 24 more wins. The other two finalists are Chad Tracy of the Red Sox and Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays. Tracy took over midseason and led Boston to a Wild Card spot. Cash manages the reigning American League champions.

Players credited the team’s success to a strong clubhouse environment established during spring training. They maintained that assessment through postgame interviews after the elimination in the division series. General Manager Chris Getz stated he expects Venable’s complete coaching staff to return. Getz also indicated the front office intends to make Venable a long-term fixture in the dugout on the South Side.

Getz described Venable as a special manager who understands the dynamics of the clubhouse. He noted that many young players reached the major leagues and performed well under Venable’s guidance. Getz said the approach relied on a specific thought process and patience that kept the group motivated and hungry even during struggles. "We’ve got a really special manager in Will Venable that recognizes the power of the clubhouse," Getz said last month. "We had so many young players that came up to the big leagues and performed. It wasn’t perfect. It didn’t need to be perfect and because of that approach, thought process and patience, it kept the group motivated and hungry. Even through their struggles, they were still finding ways to win baseball games."

If Venable wins the award, he will become the sixth White Sox manager to receive the honor. The previous winners include Jerry Manuel, Jeff Torborg, Tony La Russa, and Chuck Tanner. Ozzie Guillen won the award in 2005, the year the team captured the World Series. No White Sox manager has won the award since that 2005 season.