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White Sox announce Grady Sizemore as interim manager after Grifol firing, fire 3 other coaches

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Published  August 8, 2024 12:27pm CDT
White Sox
FOX 32 Chicago

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The Chicago White Sox's massive changes continued after firing Pedro Grifol.

Sox general manager Chris Getz said he expected better in the end, especially with some of the success the team had in June.

"We expect better. We need better," Getz said Thursday. "That certainly motivated us to make this change. I reflect back with how we went into All-Star break, then came out of the break in hopes it would be a reset for players and staff. I was disappointed in how they responded after."

With that in mind, the team officially named former MLB All-Star Grady Sizemore as the interim manager of the Chicago White Sox.

The Sox also fired bench coach Charlie Montoyo, third base coach Eddie Rodriguez and assistant hitting coach Mike Tosar.

In their place, the Sox named Doug Sisson as the teams' bench coach, Justin Jirschele as the team's third base coach and Mike Gellinger as the team's assistant hitting coach.

Sizemore is a three-time MLB All-Star, making the All Star Game in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He made his MLB debut on July 21, 2004, and played for Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay.

Sizemore got his front office start in February 2017, when Cleveland hired Sizemore as a special advisor to the team's player development department. Sizemore stepped away from that role after the 2017 season.

In 2023, Sizemore joined the Arizona Diamondbacks as an intern for Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen. After the 2023 season, Sizemore followed Josh Barfield to the White Sox when Barfield was named assistant general manager in Chicago.

Sizemore was named to the coaching staff ahead of the 2024 season. Now, Sizemore is running the ship.

Getz said the players gravitate towards Sizemore, which was a reason he tabbed him as the interim manager.

Getz is hoping that love for Sizemore will cure one of the biggest issues the team has suffered from, especially during its 21-game losing streak. That issue is how much the team has underperformed this season.

With this move, Getz said it's the beginning of a new chapter for the White Sox franchise. The team, now, needs to turn the page.  

"It's now our job to turn the page, move forward and create an environment for the players that we have on currently on the roster and for the younger players who will break into the big leagues shortly," Getz said Thursday.