Will Venable Fantasy Stats

Chicago White Sox manager Will Venable was named the 2026 American League Manager of the Year, according to ESPN. Venable, in just his second season as Chicago's skipper, won the award after the White Sox lost 102 games in 2025. He edged out Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash and Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy for the award, earning 15 first-place votes. The White Sox went 60-102 in Venable's first season before turning things around in 2026 to make the postseason for the first time since 2021. "It just starts with our players. It's a really special group that created a belief early on in the year and went out and executed the things that they needed to do. And as we got through the summer, we were challenged by different opportunities to get better," Venable told MLB Network. He became the first White Sox skipper to win the award since Ozzie Guillen in 2025. Before becoming the manager for the White Sox, Venable was on manager Bruce Bochy's staff in Texas and was part of the Rangers' team that won the World Series for the first time in franchise history in 2023.

The Chicago White Sox have hired Will Venable as their new manager. Grady Sizemore had served 45 games as interim manager, finishing out the 2024 season after Pedro Grifol had been let go amid a campaign of futility. The 42-year-old Venable played nine seasons in the majors and was with the Rangers as associate manager under Bruce Bochy prior to joining Chicago. The Sox are coming off a record-setting 121-loss season in 2024, so Venable has an uphill challenge in front of him to get the team winning consistently again.

Texas Rangers associate manager Will Venable declined the New York Mets' request for their managerial opening due to his comfort in his current situation. As the Mets look to replace Buck Showalter, new president of baseball operations David Stearns said he will consider a large pool of candidates, including those with no previous MLB managerial experience such as Venable. MLB officials believe it's far from a slam dunk that Stearns is just biding his time and will ultimately hire Brewers skipper Craig Counsell, whose contract expires after the World Series. Venable played nine seasons in the big leagues and has served as an assistant coach for the Cubs, Red Sox and Rangers.