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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Texas Rangers had a disappointing follow-up season to their first-ever World Series run in 2023. They finished third in the American League West, well behind the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners, and missed the postseason altogether.
At least that didn't stop two of their coaches from becoming hot commodities in an ongoing American League managerial search.
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The Chicago White Sox, according to the Dallas Morning News, asked for and received permission to interview associate manager Will Venable and bench coach Donnie Ecker for their manager's vacancy.
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When Venable was given the rare title of "associate manager," it immediate labeled him as an heir apparent to future Hall of Fame skipper Bruce Bochy. Bochy, 69, came out of retirement to manage Texas in Oct. 2022 and has one year remaining on his contract.
Unless he signs a contract extension this offseason, it seems likely Bochy would retire again after next season. That could prompt either Venable, or Ecker, or both to stay put rather than pursue a job with a team that finished with the worst record in modern baseball history in 2024.
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Chicago fired manager Pedro Grifol at midseason and replaced him with Grady Sizemore on an interim basis. The change could not prevent the White Sox from losing 121 games, eclipsing the 1962 Mets' modern record.
According to Josh Nelson and James Fegan of Sox Machine, San Diego Padres executive A.J. Ellis, Detroit Tigers bench coach George Lombard and former Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker are also under consideration to manage the White Sox.
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Venable, 41, attended Princeton University, where he became the second athlete to earn first-team All-Ivy League honors in both baseball and basketball. In parts of nine major league seasons (2008-16), he played for the San Diego Padres, Rangers, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
A second-generation major leaguer (his father, Max, played from 1979-91), Venable slashed .249/.315/.404 in his career while seeing time at all three outfield positions.
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In 2017, Venable retired as a player and joined the Chicago Cubs as a special assistant. Two months later, he was named the Cubs' first base coach. From 2021-22, Venable was the Boston Red Sox's bench coach, before moving on to become the Rangers' associate manager under Bochy.
Ecker, 38, has made coaching stops with the Cincinnati Reds (2019), San Francisco Giants (2020-21) and Rangers (2022-present). He also spent three seasons (2015-17) as a hitting coach in the St. Louis Cardinals' minor league system, and one (2018) with the Los Angeles Angels' Triple-A affiliate.
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