White Sox Share Thoughts On Will Venable's First Year As Manager

"[Venable] deserves a lot of credit. His communication style, his consistency. Every series, every day he creates a pathway to victory," Getz said. "So it's really fine-tune a purpose for our players to go out there and perform, and not necessarily just focused on themselves and their own production but going out there to win a baseball game. It's begun to play out. There are no highs and lows with him, and in this game when you're playing a 162-game season consistency is so valuable in a leadership role like the manager. That was one of the biggest reasons why we targeted Will, and very fortunate to be able to convert and bring him in here because I knew that he was gonna be such a steady, respected leader in this clubhouse. We're starting to see some really positive results, and sometimes it doesn't happen overnight. But we're in a period where we're getting some wins and we're feeling good and the vibes are solid. Guys are excited to show up, and they know they have a chance to win every night."

"He's been excellent. I've talked about his steadiness and his consistency of message, his ability to connect. When you're talking about a lengthy season, you see coaches and managers and players kind of ride the roller coaster a little bit. And though we might have a tough loss, I know the following day when I walk into his office that he's ready to go and has put together a plan to win that ballgame. That's what made us so attracted to him, and as the season progressed, we became more and more impressed with his ability to lead this team, lead this clubhouse and be a leader in this organization. Will's had an excellent first season as a manager. Sometimes you need to remind yourself that this is still his first year managing, and that's a testament to his ability to adjust, to read the room and continue to be the person that Will Venable is. That's a guy that shows up clear-minded and creates optimism within our clubhouse."

"He’s ready to manage any style of club. We knew where we were at as an organization and why we brought him in. But he’s a dynamic person, he’s an intelligent guy that can relate to the veteran player, the younger player, the developing player. I’m always motivated to improve our club. There’s different ways to do it. Most importantly it’s continuing to support these guys in the offseason and get ready for 2026. I’m motivated to improve the club for Will, but also others in the organization and our fans most importantly."

Mike Vasil, pitcher

"I think [Venable] is always a very positive guy every day we walk in, come into the clubhouse," Vasil said. "I also think as a pitcher, being a young pitcher, obviously my rookie year, him being very supportive of us and me and putting me in situations that are tough situations and I think that speaks volumes to me that he's showing trust in me but also everyone in the staff. I think that gives us all confidence and that's just the kind of guy he is, checking in on us, making sure we're doing alright really goes along way."

"As much as this game can be tough and a business, we are also all human beings, and I've always felt from day one that he's made me feel that way, like I'm a human, I have a personality and all that stuff matters."

Chase Meidroth, infielder

"He's very consistent. Same guy every day. So it's been great for the guys in here," Meidroth said. "... There's a lot of learning moments and I keep growing as a player. He's been very helpful with that."

"It's every day, good or bad. It's very consistent, his attitude toward everyone in here. He's got a lot of belief in each person and individual in here, so it's huge for a team. ... When I dropped that pop fly [against the Royals], we talked in his office a little bit and it was very easy to flush it after that."

Ryan Fuller, director of hitting

"It’s really fun to come up here and then to get feedback from Will, Walker [McKinven], Marcus and Joel [McKeithan], and you’re hearing from opposing clubs that the at-bats are different, you guys are really tough at-bats, we’re having to game plan a lot differently for you guys this year," Fuller said.

"And that’s a really fun thing to look at this lineup, too, because it’s not a bunch of veterans. We have veterans mixed with a lot of young guys who have inexperience at the big-league level. And to put up consistent quality at-bats on a daily basis is really something to be proud of."

Curtis Mead, infielder

"Personally I've been super impressed and really happy with our interactions and how [Venable] leads," Mead said. "I think he's been a really good communicator with me and with the group. So I think everyone in the clubhouse really enjoys him."

Paul Janish, director of player development

"You see the major-league team coming back in games late, getting down and not flinching so to speak. It’s a real strong indicator of just the makeup and hopefully what’s to come because it is a core group of guys you can almost see them kind of molding together. You get the major-league staff, you get Will [Venable] and his staff a ton of credit for helping foster that. That’s the main thing I would point to," Janish said.

"The competitive nature that the team is playing with and it’s the ability to come back, kind of get knocked down and get back up which we haven’t seen a ton recently prior to some of those young guys getting there. That’s what’s encouraging to me, that’s what we see and that’s what we want to deliver guys that the expectation is you can’t win every game, but the expectation is to be competitive and regardless of the score in the game, there’s a type of play that kind of comes with the invite, if that makes sense."

Michael A. Taylor, outfielder

"Every day, [Venable] comes in with a goal in mind, and he's really helping us stay focused on the process and not really – I don't see him as emotional during these losses and tough stretches," Taylor said. "He's very focused on the process."

Walker McKinven, bench coach

"It's relentless positivity from Will and I've really come to appreciate that," McKinven said. "He is just relentless with it. He's a great person. He's fun to be around and he's just kind to everyone. That really is the culture that's been set here and all of us appreciate it: players, coaches, support staff members."

"Being around someone that positive with that much energy and such a great communicator has built this really nice culture and speaks to what I said earlier. We have a great group of guys and that's the core of it."

Cam Booser, pitcher

"[Venable] is a great guy to play for. He's always optimistic, always positive, always trying to instill that positivity in us. So it's great, it's great to play for a guy like that. You never feel like you're out of it, so it's great to have him around," Booser said.

"I think if you have a slow start, maybe like we have, it's very easy to kind of just accept it and maybe think that's the way the season's gonna go. But when you have a guy like Will in charge, it's like you don't really accept it. You understand we have a great group of guys in this clubhouse, and we have a lot of talent here. We're just kind of starting to figure out how to play together and Will's starting to understand all that too. I think he's starting to really understand how much talent we have here. A lot of the games we're in are really close, and I think that speaks to his managerial skill set and the way he manages games and the way he pinch hits or pinch runs or brings in a certain guy in from the bullpen, I think it really speaks to his skill set as a manager with how close all of our games are and I think it speaks to the group of guys in this room as well."

Brandon Eisert, pitcher

"I think he always keep positivity around the clubhouse, never too down," Eisert said. "Obviously we wish we'd win more games, have a better record, but he looks at it just kind of the progress we've made, how we're playing, that kind of stuff. So he's always been positive, and that kind of helps us not get down on ourselves. If you have a bad outing or whatnot, him smiling, being still positive and encouraging you makes it a little bit easier to kind of get over those roadblocks."

"It's 162 games, if there's from the top to the bottom, negative energy's never gonna help. So when the head guy's being positive, it helps other guys be positive and you can kind of just get through those days. It just makes the days more enjoyable too and you enjoy coming to the clubhouse because it's not a negative energy type thing. Everything's positive, so yeah, it's great, especially for a long season. We're still in the early stages of it so we got a long way to go, so it's helpful."

Grady Sizemore, offensive coordinator

"It’s been good. He keeps it relaxed. It’s been fun," Sizemore said. "I think we are all kind of learning each other as we go. Spring Training is just kind of practice, you are trying to get guys ready. It’s not really until the season starts that you kind of get a feel for how he’s going to manage or what he’s looking for or how he wants to attack certain situations. We are kind of feeling each other out and learning the players that are new and trying to come up with a new gameplan. It doesn’t always work. We learn from that and try to improve on each day. I think we are seeing some of those signs of success and what’s working for us."

"He’s done a good job of keeping a loose atmosphere and using all the coaches in different ways and creating a positive environment. He’s obviously been around the game a long time. He’s smart. He knows what he wants. Now, the fun part is just trying to be a couple of innings ahead with him and figure out what he wants to do and how we want to attack certain situations."