WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF JUNE

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1 WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF JUNE 17, 2016 Along with White Sox, Thomas coaches son Scott Merkin, MLB.com Source: White Sox agree with second-round pick Hansen Cash Kruth, MLB.com Source: White Sox agree to terms with Call Cash Kruth, MLB.com White Sox hope to build off series win over Tigers Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago Indians pitching staff will test White Sox offensive resurgence Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune Robin Ventura says Tim Anderson has brought a spark to White Sox Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune White Sox scout Bill Scherrer recalls mid-season trade pressure Mark Gonzales, Chicago Tribune White Sox look to Quintana to open road trip; Q looking for runs Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun- Times Chicago White Sox s bullpen struggling with heavy workload Scot Gregor, Daily Herald Ynoa starting to feel his way in bullpen John Dietz, Daily Herald Heyman: Middle-of-the-road Ventura is on the hot seat Jon Heyman, Today s Knuckleball MLB Rumor Central: Robin Ventura on the hot seat? Doug Mittler, ESPN Along with White Sox, Thomas coaches own son Chicago s director of conditioning also trains his own 16-year-old By Scott Merkin / MLB.com June 16th, 2016 CHICAGO -- It's a sunny Tuesday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field, and Allen Thomas is out well before batting practice working individually with a player. This player has more of a special connection to Thomas than even Chris Sale or Jose Abreu, who have been part of his charges during 13 years as the White Sox director of conditioning. This player, running against a resistance band around his waist held by Thomas, is his 16-year-old son, Alek. Alek, who falls in between older brother Josh and younger sister Alana, might end up playing in a more formal paid setting at U.S. Cellular someday. He's a three-sport athlete at Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago, getting ready to play varsity in football, basketball and baseball for his upcoming junior season. And if Alek gets to that loftiest of levels, it will be the father-son bond that helps push him over the top. Allen is straightforward with his son, understanding what it takes to make it. He was a Minor League player himself from But he's far from overbearing. "I don't lie to him at all," said Thomas, sitting next to his son in the White Sox dugout. "It's hard in this industry, so you need to understand you are going to fail. Just prepping him in that way, but it's a life lesson that will help him as well." "He'll make me feel bad some days," said Alek with a smile. "Then other days, he'll make me feel good." Alek's athletic prowess has brought collegiate interest. Baseball is his favorite sport, and if he gets drafted out of high school, there's not much of an issue in giving up the other two or giving up the collegiate experience even with the newfound challenges coming with the professional life.

2 "Say [Alex] comes out as a senior in high school. Now you are in Great Falls, Mont., and you have electric bills," said Allen, using the White Sox farm system as an example. "You are immediately an adult. We've been working with him on that, continue to teach him how to do those things and be self-sufficient. That's the part where it's a little different on the collegiate side." "If I do play baseball," Alek said, "it's something I love." Having a dad with Major League employment has allowed Alek to hang out with Angels pitcher and former White Sox hurler Hector Santiago, as well as getting to know Sale, to name a few. The downside is that Allen misses athletic banquets and games while on the road with the team. Ultimately, the outfielder in baseball, potential quarterback in football and guard in basketball understands he's been blessed. And that blessing primarily is about having a good father who is a best friend more so than his immense athletic ability. "I'm pretty lucky," Alek said. "I just realized that when I was out here doing some work with him. I just looked up and I was like, 'Wow. Not everybody gets to do this every day.' It's pretty special. I'm thankful that he is where he is right now." "He's a special, unique athlete," Allen said. "I look at him on the field as an athlete and not as a son. I've always tried to separate." Source: White Sox agree with second-round pick Hansen By Cash Kruth / MLB.com June 16th, 2016 The White Sox have agreed to terms with second-round pick Alec Hansen, a source tells MLB.com's Jim Callis. The club has not confirmed the deal. The deal is for $1,284, full slot value for the 49th pick, where the Sox picked Hansen out of Oklahoma. Hansen, a 6-foot-7, 236-pound right-hander, was considered a potential top-five pick heading into the year, but he struggled to repeat his delivery and throw strikes. Hansen went 3-5 with a 5.40 ERA in 14 games (10 starts) for the Sooners this year, finishing the season in a low-level relief role. His fastball sits mph and can reach 99 with some running life. He also throws both an upper-70s curveball and a mid-80s slider. Source: White Sox agree to terms with Call Outfielder drafted in third round out of Ball State By Cash Kruth / MLB.com June 16th, 2016 The White Sox have agreed to terms with third-round pick Alex Call, according to a source. The deal, which the club has not confirmed, is for $719, full-slot value for the 86th pick, where the Sox selected Call out of Ball State. Call, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound outfielder, hit.358 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs while also going 17-for 21 stealing bases this season. The right-handed hitter posted a.425 on-base percentage in three seasons at Ball State, including a career-best.443 in "Just a terrific kid. Outstanding makeup. Just a gamer," White Sox director of amateur scouting Nick Hostetler said after the selection. "Played in a very good outfield in the Cape Cod [League] with Kyle

3 Lewis and Ronnie Dawson as well. He's battle-tested. He draws walks, gets on base. He's going to be an asset for us." White Sox hope to build off series win over Tigers By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago June 16th, 2016 Those good vibes are back in the White Sox clubhouse. Now they must retain them. Previously unable to find an escape route from a month-long downward spiral, this week the White Sox rediscovered the energy that propelled them to a fantastic start and rode it to only their second series victory in their last 11. Twice in three days, the White Sox rallied once improbably to beat the Detroit Tigers and snap a four-series losing streak. It was the perfect remedy for a high-energy team that recently has struggled with the ups and downs of the roller coaster. And it couldn t have come at a better time as the team is still hovering at.500 and remains within striking distance of first place. The White Sox open a three-game series at first-place Cleveland on Friday night. As bad as we ve been, look where we re at, White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale said on Wednesday. We re in a good spot. We still have most of the season left. "You can t get down on yourself or throw parties any time you win or lose. It s a long season, and we re not going to the World Series tomorrow and we re not going to the World Series yesterday. It s a marathon, and you can t falter early on and get down on yourself because of what s going on. There s a lot of baseball left, and you have to build confidence and keep pushing forward. The effort has been present during a span that mirrored a start to the season. The preparation has, too. But the confidence has wavered at times. With what occurred in Kansas City and Detroit and how against the Royals and Indians, how couldn t it? Whereas the White Sox executed their pitches, made all the ordinary defensive plays and produced in the clutch in April, the well ran dry. One day they d get pitching but no hitting and vice versa the next. The stretch has been difficult to handle for a team that has proven to run hot and cold. Terrible, catcher Dioner Navarro said. Terrifying. It didn t matter what we did, we were going to fall short. Once a focal point of the team s success, the bullpen has received its share of lumps in the process. The team s relievers posted a 1.69 ERA in their first 69 1/3 innings. The White Sox started off 20-0 in games they led after seven innings. But over the last month, the White Sox lost three of 10 games when they led after seven in part because a heavily taxed bullpen has a 4.37 ERA over the last 127 2/3 innings. Those kinds of stretches can play tricks on the psyches of even the most battled-tested of players. It can really grind on you mentally, physically, closer David Robertson said. Sometimes you look at things you shouldn t be looking at to figure out what you re doing wrong when really it s just nothing. You re just having some bad luck and things aren t going your way any more. To an extent, players have had to retrain their way of thinking.

4 It hasn t been easy. The first month of games produced a cornucopia of high-profile team celebrations in the dugout and in the clubhouse. Whether it was Matt Albers slapping himself in the head during his franchise-record scoreless streak, Todd Frazier and Navarro keeping the clubhouse loud and lively or Brett Lawrie s emotions spilling all over the field, the White Sox rode their highs high. That s not as easy to maintain over a 162- game season. It becomes even more difficult when good feelings are few and far between. Still, players managed. These guys have adjusted to it really well, Robertson said. No one is giving up. The fight is still in everyone. We re playing hard. Said Navarro: The best way is to show up every day and battle. It sucks to go through the stretch we went, but it s a long season. We started really hot and then we hit a bump. We ve just got to even that up and try to keep the roller coaster as even as possible. We re going to lose a lot of more games. So we ve just got to minimize that to one game at a time and win series. They also have to take advantage of the good feelings when they resurfaced. The White Sox recaptured some of their magic in a series win over the New York Mets earlier this month. But they couldn t sustain the momentum in Detroit as an offense playing without Melky Cabrera and Austin Jackson looked lifeless. Those same vibes resurfaced the last three days against the Tigers, and the White Sox capitalized. They rallied from seven runs down Monday, made a game of it despite an eight-run deficit on Tuesday and came from behind to win on Wednesday. Now it becomes a question of whether or not they can hold on to it again and get on another roll. That game the other day when we came back, it was just a different, Frazier said. Something just clicks. You can t explain it. It just didn t seem like we were going to lose that game. Other games that we re down 7-0 it s like, Ah, this is gonna be a long one. All of a sudden the positive energy just comes back. It s just weird. It s tough to explain. Just keep on winning, keep on rolling. Indians pitching staff will test White Sox offensive resurgence By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune June 16th, 2016 Tim Anderson and Adam Eaton looked like a good 1-2 punch in the Tigers series. Jose Abreu has put together a solid two weeks at the plate. Even slumping Todd Frazier had a couple of big moments Wednesday, including driving in the winning run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly. Could the White Sox offense be heating up finally or is that just a flickering flame the Tigers pitching staff created? The Sox scored 23 runs in the three-game series against the Tigers, their second-most in a series this season behind the 24 they scored against the Rangers on May The victory May 9 against the Rangers gave the Sox their peak record of But the Sox face a more significant challenge this weekend in taking on the Indians, who boast a 3.80 ERA, the best in the division and seventh in the majors entering Thursday. Trevor Bauer (3.69 ERA), Danny Salazar (2.19) and Carlos Carrasco (3.40) will start for the Indians.

5 "It's tough to tell you, yes, this is the turning point because sometimes you feel good and sometimes you don't," Sox left fielder Melky Cabrera said through a team interpreter. "Sometimes you have a good game, but their pitchers aren't good. But I think we are leaning toward producing consistently." Refreshed: Frazier said his night off Tuesday to regroup and watch his teammates helped him Wednesday. He walked, was hit by a pitch and had the clutch sacrifice fly. Sox manager Robin Ventura said a week earlier Frazier might have tried to do too much in that situation. "When you see your teammates doing good, it's contagious," Frazier said. "It was different with the bases loaded today. That whole at-bat I didn't feel any pressure, and it felt pretty good to be honest." Rotation update: With a day off Thursday, the Sox moved up James Shields' third Sox start to Saturday and pushed left-hander Carlos Rodon back to Sunday. That gives Rodon, who had a sore neck last week, seven days between starts. Shields will be looking for better after giving up 13 earned runs in seven innings in his first two starts. "There's a frustration level, especially when you come to a new team," Ventura said. "You keep working at it. Nobody wants it to be like that." Robin Ventura says Tim Anderson has brought a spark to White Sox By Colleen Kane / Chicago Tribune June 16th, 2016 Chris Sale had good reason to rave about Tim Anderson on Wednesday night after the White Sox rookie had scored three runs in the 5-3 victory over the Tigers. Sale said he "basically won the game for us," and the Sox ace likes what he has seen from Anderson over the six games since he was called up from Triple-A Charlotte to replace veteran Jimmy Rollins at shortstop. "He has been unbelievable, very professional," Sale said becoming the first pitcher to 11 victories this season. "He comes hot out of the gate and then scuffles a little bit and then he's right back on it. "There's very little up and down with him, very little emotion. He keeps himself in check, and that's a very positive thing to see from someone (22). It's not easy coming up here in the position he's in, with all of the other hoopla that goes with it." The Sox have tried to create as little hype around Anderson as possible, noting upon his arrival that he was not to be looked at as the savior for a struggling team. But Sox manager Robin Ventura couldn't help but be enthusiastic about a couple of successful games with Anderson at the top of the Sox order in the Tigers series. After Anderson went 0-for-6 in the final two games of the series against the Royals, Ventura opted to move Anderson to the leadoff spot, where he often hit at Triple-A Charlotte, and put Adam Eaton in the No. 2 hole. Anderson went 6-for-16 with two doubles, a triple and four runs in three games against the Tigers, often showing off his speed on the bases. He had his first career three-hit game Wednesday. "T.A. brings an element there," Ventura said. "He's fun to watch when he gets it going. As soon as he puts it in play, you like watching him run. He has had great at-bats. He looks really comfortable. "He just seems to be hitting everything hard, and nothing looks out of control. That's part of why he's here. We felt he was ready to go, and he has brought a spark definitely."

6 Anderson leading off appears to solve another problem, for now at least. The Sox have batted nine different players second this season, but Eaton stepped in and went 8-for-14 with a double, triple, four runs and three RBIs. "It has been awesome, just to get it started, and he just follows up with it," Anderson said. "Like (Wednesday night, Eaton) told me, 'Way to make the job easier,' which is a good thing." Before Anderson was called up, outfielder J.B. Shuck, who played with him for Charlotte, also complimented Anderson's ability to leave behind tough outings. The Sox know that could be a key for Anderson as he inevitably will hit rough patches as he adjust to the big leagues. "Just stay humble, keep fighting, keep putting pressure on the (other) team and stay myself," Anderson said of his plan to stay even-keeled. But Anderson also is enjoying some of the new experiences that come with joining the Sox. He said a lively crowd got him "hyped" Wednesday, and he also had fun joking around with Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who he said blew him a kiss when he got to second base. "It was pretty awesome," Anderson said. "He's real funny." White Sox scout Bill Scherrer recalls mid-season trade pressure By Mark Gonzales / Chicago Tribune June 16th, 2016 It took Bill Scherrer more than 30 years to watch a replay of Game 5 of the 1984 World Series that resulted in his first of three World Series rings. Scherrer, now a special assistant with the White Sox, remembers how upset he was at failing to turn a double play in the fourth inning despite the fact his Tigers went on to win the game and give him his first of three World Series rings. For Scherrer, 58, he didn t want to let down his teammates after being acquired from the Reds four days prior to the deadline for teams to set their pool of players eligible for the post-season. Scherrer was aware of the Tigers 35-5 start and their quest to win the World Series. The Cubs also are looking to upgrade with a robust lead as they enter a six-game homestand against National League Central rivals Pittsburgh and St. Louis. It gets addictive, Scherrer said last week before watching the Cubs and Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. It gets to the point where you expect to win. When you win like that, somebody has to pick each other up. Somebody does something. Someone gets the big hit that I didn t. Somebody takes an extra base. I can t explain why they won, but I heard from everyone else was how great the team was. Despite being demoted to the minors by the Reds before the All-Star break, Scherrer was attractive to the Tigers as a left-handed specialist to complement 1984 American League Most Valuable Player and former Cub Willie Hernandez. The Cubs face a similar situation with the need to shore up their left-handed relief. But any newcomer should feel welcome, according to first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Even if we do anything, we re happy with what we have, Rizzo said Wednesday. If anyone comes in, they re coming in to one of the better situations. I think it will all work itself out.

7 Meanwhile, Scherrer quickly observed a Tigers team similar to the Cubs with its unselfish play under a strong leader. They were a great team that played with unity and had great makeup guys, said Scherrer, mentioning the likes of Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish and Jack Morris. (Manager) Sparky Anderson was good at that. A lot of their core players, like the Royals, came from their own system. We had quality guys and experienced people whether it be guys like Larry Herndon, Johnny Grubb or Rusty Kuntz. In today s game, if you can develop your core players and add good makeup guys with ability, you ll be dangerous. Some of Scherrer s fears were alleviated in his first game when he induced Alvin Davis of the Mariners to ground to first in a game the Tigers rallied to win in late August. Shortly after his arrival in Detroit, Scherrer saw a group of players committed to winning in the same manner that free agents Ben Zobrist, Jason Heyward and John Lackey did in taking less money for the opportunity to give the Cubs their first World Series title since Detroit s front office nickel and dimed some guys, recalled Scherrer, who earned World Series rings as a scout for the Florida Marlins in 1997 and the White Sox in But Morris and a few guys stayed because they were committed to winning. White Sox look to Quintana to open road trip; Q looking for runs By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times June 16th, 2016 Jose Quintana is pitching for the White Sox Friday, and that can only mean one thing. The Sox lineup will be good for one or two runs against Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer. This is how it always goes for Quintana, the tough-luck left-hander who continues to pitch with steady effectiveness but carries on with miniscule run support. For whatever reason, the Sox simply don t score when Quintana takes the mound. I ve never been a part of something like that, said Todd Frazier, a first-year Sox who is witnessing for the first time what s been happening for years. For a month now he s doing the same thing. We have to find a way to get over that hump. In fact, Quintana has been doing the same thing for four years. You re conscious of it, for sure, Frazier said. After the game it s like, We let another one slip by. He gave up one run and they only scored two or three. You feel for the guy. Maybe Quintana should tear the clubhouse apart, throw his arms up and shout Enough! Score me some freaking runs. But that s not his style. A calm, workmanlike, unselfish demeanor is what makes him one of the most popular players in the room. I sometimes feel frustrated because we don t get runs, but I know the hitters try to do their best every time, Quintana said. I don t have control over that. In five seasons in the majors, all as a Sox starter, Quintana has posted ERAs of 3.76, 3.51, 3.32, 3.36 and 2.66, the latter in 2016 with a 5-7 record. He is the only pitcher since 1901 to log 200 innings in each season with an ERA of 3.54 or lower and not win more than nine games, and his 52 no-decisions from were the most in a four-year span in major league history.

8 Quintana, who ranks fourth in the American League in ERA, has received a total of four runs of support over his last six starts and is 0-6 during that span. According to STATS, he s the first Sox pitcher to receive zero or one run of support in six straight starts since Ross Baumgarten went seven in a row in Perhaps it s got to the point where hitters, wanting badly to turn the tide for Quintana, don t stay within themselves when Quintana pitches. That seems somewhat far-fetched but crazier things have happened. You have to control what you have to control, Frazier said. When he s been pitching the last couple times I think we haven t been controlling what we re taught to control pitch selection, getting the guy over, that kind of stuff. Not putting too much pressure on yourself. Control how you feel in the box, step out if you have to. Take a deep breath. If you re not a home run hitter don t try and go deep. Eaton with a bunt at the beginning of a game, he can control that, that s what he does. Don t try to do too much. The Sox, in their last 33 games after going in the first 33, are embark on a tough and important road trip that continues in Boston. They re 2 ½ games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central, and Quintana is 5-2 with a 2.71 ERA against them. Some runs would be nice. NOTES: The Sox have requested waivers on Mat Latos and Jimmy Rollins for the purpose of granting their unconditional release. *Oklahoma right-hander Alec Hansen, drafted 49th overall, reportedly signed for full slot value of $1,284,500. *White Sox at Indians: Friday: Jose Quintana (5-7, 2.66) vs.trevor Bauer (4-2, 3.69), 6:10 p.m, CSN, 890-AM Saturday: James Shields (2-8, 5.45) vs. Danny Salazar (7-3, 2.19), 5:10, CSN, 890-AM Sunday: Carlos Rodon (2-6, 4.28) vs. Carlos Carrasco (2-2, 3.40), 12:10, Ch. 9, 890-AM Chicago White Sox s bullpen struggling with heavy workload By Scot Gregor / Daily Herald June 17th, 2016 To Chris Sale -- and to the schedule-maker who made Thursday an off-day -- the Chicago White Sox's bullpen extends heartfelt thanks. Before Sale shook off a rocky third and logged 7 innings in Wednesday's 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field -- and before Thursday's needed break in the schedule -- the Sox's bullpen was in a state of near collapse due to a severe case of overuse. Naturally, Robin Ventura received the brunt of the blame for the flurry of mound visits and pitching changes, but the White Sox's beleaguered manager was put in a tough spot by starting pitchers James Shields, Miguel Gonzalez, Carlos Rodon, and even Sale and Jose Quintana at the top of the rotation. In his first 2 starts for the Sox after being acquired in a June 4 trade from San Diego, Shields pitched 7 innings. Total.

9 Gonzalez showed steady improvement before being banged around by the Tigers on Tuesday while lasting just 3⅓ innings. In 8 starts for the White Sox since being claimed off waivers from Baltimore in early April, Gonzalez has pitched into the seventh inning just once. Rodon has made 12 starts for the Sox and pitched 6 innings or fewer six times. Add in some shorter recent outings from Sale and Quintana, recall how Mat Latos consistently failed to go deep into games before being designated for assignment last week (and officially released a week ago), and you can sense a very serious problem. "The guys are a little bit taxed," general manager Rick Hahn said last week. Before Sale stepped up and pitched 7 innings Wednesday, the White Sox's bullpen logged 34⅓ innings over an eight-game stretch. The Sox have played 13 games in June, and Zach Duke and Dan Jennings each have made 7 appearances. Closer David Robertson, Nate Jones and Matt Albers have pitched in 6 games. For the season, Duke was tied for the American League lead with 35 games pitched heading into Thursday. Albers (30) and Jones (29) were close behind. Wary of completely blowing out his bullpen, Ventura recently went with Tyler Danish, a starting pitcher at Class AA Birmingham before being optioned back to the minors, in three straight tight games. Ventura also has called on two more unproven bullpen arms, Michael Ynoa and Matt Purke, because they are on the current 25-man roster. "You can't pitch the same guys every single day," Ventura said. "You're going to have to find a spot for them to be able to get in there. You have to find a way to relieve some guys from pitching every day and get guys in there." If the starters, particularly Shields, Rodon and Gonzalez, can pitch longer, the bullpen should be able to catch its collective breath and perform more like it did in April when Sox relievers were 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA. If the starters can't pitch longer, look for Hahn to scour the trade market and waiver wires looking for more bullpen help. Ynoa starting to feel his way in bullpen By John Dietz / Daily Herald June 15th, 2016 When Michael Ynoa was told to begin warming up during the White Sox's 11-8 loss to Detroit on Tuesday, the recently called up relief pitcher admitted he "was really scared and nervous." Quite understandable as it was the major-league debut for the 24-year-old native of the Dominican Republic. Ynoa retired the first two batters he faced in the seventh inning, then walked Jose Iglesias. Miguel Cabrera then strolled to the plate to face the 6-foot-7, 210-pound rookie. "When I saw him coming to the plate, I was like, 'Oh my gosh. How am I going to throw (to) this guy?'" Ynoa said. "Thanks (to) God thinks worked out. Just throw strikes and get an out." Cabrera, a.305 hitter this year with 420 career home runs, flew out to Melky Cabrera in left.

10 In the eighth inning, Ynoa issued a one-out walk to J.D. Martinez, but got Justin Upton to fly out to Cabrera and James McCann to fly out to Adam Eaton. Ynoa, acquired in a trade with Oakland in 2014, had a 4.56 ERA in 18 appearances with Charlotte this season before being called up Tuesday. Pressure packed: Adam Eaton, who busted out of an 11-for-72 slump by going 8-for-14 in his first three games as the Sox's No. 2 hitter, said he feels the same amount of pressure batting second as he does hitting leadoff. "When the guy then gets on, you feel pressure to do something with him," Eaton said before going 2-for-4 with an RBI during Wednesday's victory over Detroit at U.S. Cellular Field. "It's never fun getting the leadoff guy and you hit into a double play. Or if the leadoff hitter doesn't get on, you have pressure to get on with one out and get things going." Eaton, who was hitting.304 on May 22, saw his average plummet to.259 over the next 19 games. He's now hitting.276 with a.359 on-base percentage. Around the horn: With 7 strikeouts Wednesday, Chris Sale moved past Gary Peters and John Danks into sixth place in team history with 1,104 in his White Sox career. The White Sox are 3-12 against the AL Central in their last 15 games after beginning the season 9-3. Since May 6, Tyler Saladino is batting.296 (21-for-71) with 3 doubles, 3 HRs, 15 RBI and 9 runs scored. He said it: "If you're going to have an off night against a lineup like that it's going to look like that. It's not a good (day) to be off." Robin Ventura on Miguel Gonzalez allowing 7 runs on 8 hits with 4 walks in 3.1 innings Tuesday vs. Detroit. Heyman: Middle-of-the-road Ventura is on the hot seat By Jon Heyman / Today s Knuckleball June 16th, 2016 Robin Ventura is coming under fire in Chicago, and some White Sox people are starting to wonder whether a change could be coming, or maybe even warranted. As one White Sox-connected person put it, things are not great regarding Ventura s stats. Ventura is well-respected within the organization, but as the team has imploded, going from its terrific start to.500, there s starting to be talk among those in the know that Ventura s status could be affected. When Ventura was hired, he was seen as the perfect guy, as he was the anti Ozzie, a low-key guy who wasn t looking to steal the spotlight and act like a prima donna. But the team hasn t performed great since Ventura s first year. In 2012, Ventura s first season as manager, the team finished Since, they ve won just 63, 73, and 76 games, respectively. His contract expires at the end of this season.

11 Nobody believes it s necessarily Ventura s fault but there is a growing feeling, even among some with the team, that it might not hurt to do something. I think patience has been showed, one White Sox person said. General manager Rick Hahn declined to comment at this time. Some around the sport-loving city would like to see more fire, and while Ventura has been ejected three times he has yet to stage clubhouse explosions or anything of the sort. People who know him say the fire burns within, and that Ventura is as competitive as anyone. But no one expects outward negative emotion. Bench coach Rick Renteria, who was unceremoniously and understandably dumped when the Cubs had a chance to get Joe Maddon, is the most logical successor. Club insiders say, thanks to Renteria, they are as prepared as they ve ever been. Could the anti-ozzie be replaced by the real Ozzie? One baseball official said, The Yankees brought back Billy (Martin) but (Ozzie) has burned bridges. The White Sox are after beating the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. They travel to Cleveland to take on the Indians this weekend. MLB Rumor Central: Robin Ventura on the hot seat? By Doug Mittler / ESPN June 17th, 2016 The job security of Robin Ventura as White Sox manager has been a prime social media topic in Chicago since his club went south after a start. Rumor CentralJon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball painted a less-than-optimistic picture on Thursday, reporting some White Sox people are starting to wonder whether a change could be coming, or maybe even warranted. The White Sox were one of baseball s biggest surprises in April but have lost 23 of their last 33 games to fall back to.500. Even if he is not on the immediate hot seat, this is likely a make-or-break year for the 48-year-old Ventura. The White Sox have yet to reach the postseason since he took over as manager in Heyman lists bench coach Rich Renteria, the former manager of the Cubs, as the most logical successor if the White Sox make a change.