White Sox manager Will Venable has been voted Sporting News American League Manager of the Year by his peers, a recognition that lands after a second season at the controls that turned into one of the most remarkable turnarounds in recent MLB memory.
Venable, 43, steered Chicago to an 84-78 finish and a spot in the 2026 American League playoffs. It was the White Sox’s 12th postseason appearance in franchise history and their first since 2021. They opened the Wild Card Series by sweeping Houston, then fell to Cleveland in five games in the AL Division Series.
The numbers behind the season are eye-catching. Chicago spent 96 days atop the AL Central and pushed its win total up by more than 19 games for the second straight year, climbing from 41 wins in 2024 to 60 and then 84. That 41-win mark came in the season before Venable arrived.
The White Sox also made history in a way no other team had done before: they became the first club in MLB history to reach the postseason after losing 100-plus games in each of the previous two seasons.
Their 84 wins were the most ever by a team following three straight 100-loss seasons. That total also matched the 1974 Texas Rangers for the most by a team coming off back-to-back 100-loss campaigns.
Only three other clubs had ever made the playoffs the year after a 100-loss season: Kansas City in 2024, Miami in 2020 and Minnesota in 2017.
Chicago’s recovery looked especially steady after a rough opening stretch. The White Sox started 6-13, then went 78-65 (.545) from April 17 through the end of the regular season. That was the fourth-best record in the American League over that span, behind Tampa Bay at 87-57, New York at 83-59 and Boston at 80-64.
Venable is now just the third MLB manager since 1901 to oversee a back-to-back improvement of at least 19 wins, excluding the COVID and strike seasons. He joins Hall of Famers Miller Huggins, who guided the 1925-27 New York Yankees from 69 wins to 91 to 110, and John McGraw, who did it with the 1902-04 New York Giants from 48 to 84 to 106.
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White Sox Could Be Facing Another Front Office Loss
Josh Barfield has become a familiar part of the White Sox front office since joining Chris Getz as his assistant general manager, but his name is now showing up in another big-league search. Houston is working through its list of general manager candidates, and Barfield is one of the executives being considered as the Astros look to fill the job before the World Series ends.
For Chicago, it is another reminder that front office continuity can be hard to hold onto even as the organization tries to build around Getz's leadership. Barfield has already been connected to other GM opportunities, and he previously passed on outside interest while choosing to stay focused on the White Sox, which makes this latest round of attention worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]