Will Venable’s second season in Chicago has put him in rare company, and now it has him one step away from another major honor.
The White Sox manager was announced Monday night on MLB Network as one of three finalists for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s 2026 American League Manager of the Year Award. Kevin Cash of the Rays and Boston’s Chad Tracy round out the group.
The winner will be revealed Tuesday, Nov. 10, during a show on MLB Network that begins at 6 p.m. CT.
Venable has a strong case built on one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent White Sox history. Chicago entered 2026 on the heels of three straight 100-loss seasons, including a Modern Era single-season record of 121 losses in 2024. The club dropped 102 games in Venable’s first year in 2025, but there were signs late that the group was moving in the right direction, especially after the All-Star break when the White Sox went 28-37.
That momentum carried into 2026, even if the start was rough. Chicago opened 1-5 on a road trip against the Brewers and Marlins and lost 13 of its first 19 games.
Still, the belief inside the clubhouse never disappeared, something players had already talked about at SoxFest in late January. By the end of the season, the White Sox had surged to 84 wins.
That was a 24-win jump from the previous year and enough to send Chicago to the playoffs as the third AL Wild Card and the No. 6 seed overall. The White Sox swept the Astros in two games in the Wild Card round, then took the first two games of the Division Series in Cleveland. Even after three straight losses to the Guardians ended the run, the season still stood as a major breakthrough with the 43-year-old Venable in charge.
The numbers behind the turnaround are striking. The White Sox reached the postseason for the 12th time in franchise history and for the first time since 2021.
They also spent 96 days in first place in the AL Central. Venable became just the third MLB manager since 1901 to post a 19-plus win improvement in back-to-back full seasons, joining Hall of Famers Miller Huggins of the 1925-27 New York Yankees and John McGraw of the 1902-04 New York Giants.
Chicago’s 84 wins were the most in MLB history for a team after three straight 100-loss seasons, and they tied the 1974 Rangers for the most by a club coming off back-to-back 100-loss years. The White Sox also became the first team to reach the postseason after losing 100-plus games in each of the previous two seasons.
Players repeatedly pointed to the tone Venable set. The identity he established centered on playing hard for all 27 outs, staying locked in on the game in front of them and competing for one another as much as alongside one another. The roster embraced that approach and turned it into results.
Venable already picked up recognition from Sporting News, which named him AL Manager of the Year as voted on by his peers. He joined Ozzie Guillén (2005), Jerry Manuel (2000), Jeff Torborg (1990), Tony La Russa (1983) and Chuck Tanner (1972) as previous White Sox winners of that award.
If he takes the BBWAA honor, Venable would become the sixth White Sox manager to win it and the first since Guillén in 2005. The other Chicago winners are Manuel (2000), Gene Lamont (1993), Torborg (1990) and La Russa (1983).
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