CHICAGO -- Being a good chef features some of the same ingredients as being a good manager for Rick Renteria.

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1 WHITE SOX HEADLINES OF JANUARY 26, 2017 Source: Frazier in splint after spraining finger Scott Merkin, MLB.com Chef Renteria cooks up winning ingredients Scott Merkin, MLB.com Rick Renteria's reintroduction as White Sox manager begins with a lesson in the kitchen Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune Fans to soak in new direction at SoxFest Daryl Van Schouwen, Chicago Sun Times COOKIN' WITH RICKY: WHITE SOX MANAGER SHOWS OFF HIS CULINARY SKILLS Dan Hayes, CSN Chicago Can Todd Frazier Fill Leadership Void on South Side? Etheria Modacure, Fan Sided Source: Frazier in splint after spraining finger White Sox third baseman expected to be fine for camp By Scott Merkin / MLB.com January 25th, 2017 CHICAGO -- A White Sox source confirmed a report from MLB Network's Ken Rosenthal that Todd Frazier is wearing a splint as he recovers from a sprained finger on his left hand. Rosenthal's report stated that Frazier first dealt with the issue in the final few days of the 2016 season, and felt it again when he picked up offseason workouts. He had a MRI and will undergo a followup Thursday, but the White Sox source also confirmed that Frazier should be without restrictions by Spring Training. Frazier is scheduled to attend SoxFest this weekend at the Hilton Chicago, where he will sign autographs, take part in a kids' hitting clinic and join Lucas Giolito and Carlos Rodon for a kids' only news conference at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday. Frazier will be playing in his last season before entering free agency, coming off of a 40-home run, 98- RBI performance in his first year with the White Sox. The power hitter could be a trade candidate as the season progresses in the midst of a rebuild, but his strong clubhouse presence could serve as the leader for a burgeoning youthful core. Chef Renteria cooks up winning ingredients White Sox manager whips up meal, advises students to dream big By Scott Merkin / MLB.com Jan. 25th, 2017 CHICAGO -- Being a good chef features some of the same ingredients as being a good manager for Rick Renteria. Take a little from Column A, take a little from Column B, mix together and create a masterpiece. Renteria's passion for cooking was on display Wednesday morning as he visited Benito Juarez Community Academy in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago a few days before this weekend's SoxFest. The White Sox manager whipped up a quick version of Queso Fundido with the Juarez baseball team and culinary students, but his natural teaching instincts also took over with the young students. "More than anything, just encourage them," said Renteria of his message to the students.

2 "There are certain things they can't control and there are things they can control. I was speaking to someone earlier today that was presented to me that was a dreamer, getting ready to graduate. And I don't think that they can consume themselves in a lot of the things that are being put out there. "All of us have to come together a little bit and try to keep some perspective and some balance in how we approach everything we are doing. So I hope that I was just able to encourage them and show them that they are OK, they will be all right." Questions from the students dealt in part with Renteria's goals when he was their age and what he wanted to do with his life. Baseball was all he dreamed about, and Renteria made the Majors as a player, coach and the rare manager who has worked on both sides of Chicago. Baseball became Renteria's passion. It's the same sort of passion Renteria hopes the Juarez students find. "It's always really emotional when you have kids that without even knowing you, they seemingly are supporting you and your team, kids that have obviously come from very similar backgrounds as myself," Renteria said. "It's nice to be able to come out here and encourage them a little bit. "[I] let them know that anything is possible, but you have to push, you have to fight and you have to not give up. Honestly, maybe that's why I'm still here." When Spring Training begins, Renteria plans to cook for his coaches just as he did last year. He wasn't quite satisfied with Thursday's creation, but the students enjoyed his visit and his cuisine. "Then I wonder what his best tastes like," said diehard White Sox fan Jennifer Orozco, a senior at Juarez in the culinary program, along with serving as a T-ball coach. "It was amazing. Oh my God, I can't even explain it. The cheese was so gooey and the meat was cooked perfectly. "This was really exciting, a dream come true. I've always wanted to meet someone from the White Sox. It was actually very interesting because you think that a coach like that is more focused on other things like business. You see he has a favorite pastime like you do, and you could connect to them in some way." Rick Renteria's reintroduction as White Sox manager begins with a lesson in the kitchen Colleen Kane /Chicago Tribune Jan. 25th, 2017 Rick Renteria's reintroduction to White Sox fans this week began with a showcase of the teaching skills that will be so important as the South Siders embark on a rebuilding project over the next few seasons. Of course, Wednesday's lesson was in the kitchen, not on the field, as a group of Benito Juarez Community Academy students learned his way of making queso fundido while also hearing about Renteria's background in baseball, his love of cooking and his Mexican heritage. "(The queso) wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but it passed," Renteria said in a classroom at the Pilsen high school after he finished the cheese and chorizo dish, one of his two specialties, along with ceviche. Renteria was announced as Robin Ventura's replacement in early October, but this week the new manager will provide a more in-depth look for Sox fans. They may not have learned much about him when he was Cubs manager in 2014 and Ventura's behind-the-scenes bench coach last season. Renteria did morning appearances on WGN-9 and WSCR-AM 670 on Wednesday. He will visit Lurie Children's Hospital on Thursday with a few players. And this weekend, he will take the SoxFest stage at the Hilton Chicago to answer fans' questions and participate in a ceviche cook-off. Renteria said he thinks there is an excitement in the air after the Sox veered down a new path with the trades of Chris Sale and Adam Eaton at the winter meetings in December. Renteria said the Sox staff

3 must build a structure for the new, young players to begin their development, and that includes a focus on the whole. "We have to be White Sox first," Renteria said. "(Our) purpose should be to bring a championship to the White Sox, and from that stems everything else. We have to motivate, encourage and inspire people to be the best they can be. "My personality is a little different than others, but I can be a little firm when I need to be and as relaxed as I need to be." Renteria got to know some of the additions during a hitters' mini-camp this month. Among the participants was top prospect Yoan Moncada, who joined the Sox in the Sale trade with the Red Sox in December. "Moncada was everything everybody thinks he might be," Renteria said. "We had a couple of drills and one became a competitive routine. All of the sudden he turned it up a notch, and it was pretty impressive. Obviously all these guys have to continue to develop. Everybody knows that once you get to the big leagues it's going to be a little different. There's a learning curve, and we're going to have to allow them to take care of those things when they get there." Renteria appeared comfortable talking with the high school students Wednesday, alternating between giving instructions, telling his story and giving life advice, including telling the students to not be afraid to pursue their passions. Renteria, who is bilingual, used a couple of Spanish phrases to greet the students at Juarez, which has a large Hispanic enrollment. Afterward, he said he hoped to "encourage them and show them they're OK. They'll be all right." But he side-stepped a question about his feelings on President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order to move toward the construction of a Mexico-U.S. border wall Wednesday. Renteria said he tries not to pay attention to political rhetoric. "For me, I just do what's real," Renteria said. "Right now, there's what's going on today. I'm here with these kids. We're dealing with what's going on right now. I don't concern myself with things of that nature. When it starts to affect us in (reality), maybe we step in, but I'm (the) manager for the Chicago White Sox." Juarez senior Jennifer Orozco called the half-hour session "a dream come true" as a big Sox fan. She called the queso "amazing" and liked the cooking demonstration. Renteria has had practice he makes food for his family and also cooked for Sox coaches last year. "It was very interesting because you would think a coach like that is more focused on other things like business," Orozco said. "You see he has a favorite pastime like you do. It's like you can actually connect to them in some way." Fans to soak in new direction at SoxFest By: Daryl Van Schouwen/ Chicago Sun Times Jan. 25th, 2017 The White Sox almost always had just enough pieces on their roster to pitch themselves as contenders when SoxFest came rolling around in late January. In reality, since their last playoff team in 2008, with few exceptions, they ve shaped up as, at best, a.500- looking team accompanied by the promise of being one or two midseason additions away from making the postseason. That was usually enough to suck fans in this time of year.

4 But after consistently being mired in mediocrity, as general manager Rick Hahn famously put it last summer (actually, four consecutive losing seasons is worse than mediocre), the Sox have given up on trying to cobble together a contending team. The December trades of Chris Sale, one of baseball s elite pitchers, and Adam Eaton, the Sox best overall position player in 2016, for packages of prospects have signaled the start of a plan that most hardcore fans those who can name all 25 players on the roster, who have a decent knowledge of the farm system, who follow the team daily appear to approve of. Fan bases have seen other teams, the Cubs as the nearby obvious albeit dissimilar example, go young and make it work over time. And it will be worth seeing how the fans respond at SoxFest this weekend. Their hopes of winning will be lower than ever, but they might be less grumpy than usual. Many will want to know, though, why the overhaul hit the brakes after Sale and Eaton were dealt for seven prospects, six of whom are now in the organization s top 10 (including the top four), according to MLB.com. Hahn has more pieces at his disposal to move, including probable Opening Day left-hander Jose Quintana (if he s still here by April 3), third baseman Todd Frazier and closer David Robertson, to name a few. But the overall market has cooled. Hahn said in December that he was under no pressure to deal, and that still holds six weeks later. A sore arm to someone s key starter or reliever or an injury to another team s middle-of-the-order bat could be all it takes for Hahn to get what he wants. In the meantime, Quintana, the likable good soldier and All-Star, will find himself in the awkward position at SoxFest of being asked what it s like to hear his name mentioned in trade rumors on an almost daily basis. Elsewhere, new prospects such as Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Zack Collins, Zack Burdi and Michael Kopech will be making the rounds and capturing the attention of fans. Intrigue will be a welcome addition Friday through Sunday at the Chicago Hilton. New manager Rick Renteria, 23-year-old shortstop Tim Anderson, Moncada and Giolito will visit Lurie Children s Hospital on Thursday before Burdi and Kopech, among others, make ticket-sales calls from the ballpark. On Wednesday, Renteria made a relaxed and engaging appearance at Juarez Academy, three miles away from the Sox ballpark. Renteria, who loves to cook, whipped up a serving of queso fundido for an attentive culinary class and told students to avoid the temptation of giving up hope. He was talking about their personal dreams, not the nearby professional baseball team s. But he could ve been delivering a message to Sox fans everywhere. These hopes will require a dash of patience as well, but for fans who ve become frustrated or begun to lose interest with patchwork fixer-upper teams, seeing a clearer recipe for hoped-for success might be easier to digest. COOKIN' WITH RICKY: WHITE SOX MANAGER SHOWS OFF HIS CULINARY SKILLS By Dan Hayes/ CSN Chicago January 25, 2017 The dish, queso fundido, is one of several the new White Sox manager also plans to prepare meals for his coaching staff at spring training next month in Glendale, Ariz. Renteria will also host a cooking demonstration at SoxFest on Sunday.

5 Renteria, who spoke with students at Benito Juarez Community Academy while signing autographs and posing for photos, said he s excited to help prepare some of the team s newly acquired talent for their eventual promotions to the majors. The White Sox have invited each of their top eight prospects (according to MLB.com) to big-league camp, including infielder Yoan Moncada and pitchers Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. "We acquired some top-notch talent," Renteria said. "It s incumbent upon us as White Sox now to put the structure together, see if we can move them forward. There is a large process of developing players. In the end, again, we have to be White Sox first. Their purpose should be to bring a championship to the White Sox first and foremost and from that stems everything else." Renteria wore a chef's hat as he prepared the cheesy, spicy dish in front of the vocational school's baseball team and select culinary students. He also often cooks carne asada and rice and beans at family gatherings. Renteria cooked for the White Sox coaching staff last spring to bring them all together and said he intends to do so again this year. While he prepared the food, Renteria spoke to students about having passion for their dreams. He also fielded questions about his path to the majors and advised students to have perspective and balance. "More than anything, encourage them," Renteria said. "I don t think they can consume themselves in a lot of the things that are being put out there. I hope I was able to encourage them and show them they re OK. They re all right." Jennifer Orozco, a senior in the school s culinary program, said Renteria s dish was "amazing." Orozco, who coaches T-ball at nearby Harrison Park, is a diehard White Sox fan. Even though invitations to the event were limited, Orozco made sure she attended. She enjoyed discovering that she and Renteria had a similar passion off the field. "It was super exciting because I m a diehard Sox fan," Orozco said. "When my chef told me he was going to come here I was super excited. They weren't letting a lot of people go. It was the baseball team. But I was like, "I really want to go. I want to meet him." It was kind of a dream come true. (The dish) was amazing. The cheese was so gooey and the meat was perfect." Renteria focused on getting White Sox moving forward By: Scot Gregor/ Daily Herald Jan. 25th,2017 In advance of SoxFest this weekend at the Hilton Chicago, Rick Renteria was a guest at Benito Juarez Community Academy on Wednesday. It was a fitting stop for the Chicago White Sox's new manager. As he met with members of the baseball team and whipped up a lunch of queso fundido in a culinary class, Renteria also delivered a strong message to the students at the Pilsen neighborhood high school. He urged them to chase their dreams and never give up. He spoke of perspective and balance. "I feel like we have to motivate, encourage and inspire people to be the best they can be," Renteria said. When he appears at SoxFest this weekend and heads into spring training next month, Renteria will be giving his players similar speeches. After taking over for departed manager Robin Ventura the day after the disappointing 2016 season ended, Renteria soon found himself overseeing a rebuilding project when top starter Chris Sale and outfielder Adam Eaton were moved in separate trades in early December for seven minor-league prospects.

6 Even more moves are expected through spring training and the regular season as the White Sox look to continue stockpiling young talent with an eye toward the future. "We're all excited," Renteria said. "There were changes made, obviously, during the winter. We acquired some pretty top-notch talent. I think it's incumbent upon us now to kind of put the structure together, see if we can move them forward." The Sox had a good idea they were going to rebuild even before last season ended, and they wasted little time naming Renteria the new manager because they considered him the perfect fit. The 55-year-old Californian managed a young Chicago Cubs team to a record in When Joe Maddon became available after that season, the Cubs fired Renteria. In addition to serving as White Sox bench coach last season, Renteria spent six seasons on the Padres' major-league coaching staff, he managed Team Mexico in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, and he managed eight years in the minor leagues, including with the Kane County Cougars. Renteria also played five major-league seasons with the Pirates, Mariners and Marlins, primarily at second and third base. Now, he'll try to rebuild the White Sox and eventually get them into the playoffs for the first time since "There is a large process of developing players, but in the end we have to be White Sox first," Renteria said. "Their purpose should be to bring a championship to the White Sox, first and foremost. From that stems everything else. Those are things I've learned from my past experiences, things I'm going to bring to the table here, hopefully." Renteria brings a lot of energy and encouragement, but he has been in the game a long time and knows that's not always going to be enough. "My personality is a little different than others, but I can be a little firm when I need to be and be as relaxed as I need to be," Renteria said. "But they're all human beings. They're not robots." Can Todd Frazier Fill Leadership Void on South Side? Etheria Modacure/FanSided Jan 25, 2017 White Sox veteran slugger Todd Frazier has been on rebuilding teams before. Can the Toddfather be veteran presence in clubhouse this season? The Chicago White Sox will most likely start this upcoming season with Todd Frazier as its starting third baseman. Despite Frazier s name appearing in trade rumors this offseason, the veteran slugger could very well begin his second season with the White Sox. Although he could still be traded, can Frazier fill leadership void in White Sox clubhouse? According to Bruce Levine of CBS Chicago, Frazier assumed a leadership role last season for the White Sox. However, Frazier did have some battles with former White Sox Adam Eaton. It got so bad at one point that Eaton had to move his locker. This still doesn t stop Frazier from wanting to help out the younger players as they come up according to Levine. Even if his immediate future is still up in the air. Frazier could still be traded either this offseason or by the trading deadline in July. Although Frazier posted a career-low.225 batting average last season, he led the White Sox in home runs at 40 and had

7 98 RBIs. Frazier is aware he could be traded at any moment, and knows his wife can prepare their family in the event of a trade. While the White Sox could very well trade Frazier, they currently will need a leader in the clubhouse this season. This is where Frazier can help as a leader. According to Levine, Frazier is aware of what he needs to do this upcoming season for the White Sox and he s ready to answer any questions young players might have. We talk about being prepared all of the time. That is what you must do. We have a lot of young kids coming in. We will see when they get the call. Hopefully when they do, it will be go time. We have guys who will have their first big league experience. I think their time will come pretty quick. I am there to be the leader and help them out, if they have any questions. - Todd Frazier The White Sox could certainly use Frazier s leadership in the clubhouse this upcoming season. With a relatively younger roster, the White Sox will need established veterans to help rookies adjust to the rigors of MLB. Hopefully for both Frazier and the White Sox, they re able to extend their relationship.