DETROIT — Braden Montgomery had just hit a historic walk-off home run in his major-league debut against the Braves, the best team in baseball. White Sox manager Will Venable stepped to the podium to meet the media with his usual stoic look, but what he said belied it:
“That’s a special debut. Needed it there on a day where situational execution honestly was a disaster.”
Come again?
“The first safety [squeeze bunt], we weren’t able to execute,” he continued. “The [Drew] Romo safety, that’s 100% on me, where you got [first baseman Matt] Olson crashing. My job is to put these guys in good situations to succeed. I should have let him swing away there after a couple pitches. So that one’s on me.”
Venable wasn’t trying to be a buzzkill. He was happy with the victory and thrilled for Montgomery. But it was evidence that in his second season on the job, Venable is continuing to learn how to do the job. Many of his players are learning how to do theirs, as well, and that mix of inexperience could be lethal for many teams. For the Sox, it has been rejuvenating.
Before the Sox’ biggest series in years begins Monday at Rate Field against the Guardians, their first-place competitors in the American League Central, Venable sat down with the Sun-Times to talk about his experience as a young manager and how he goes about the job.
“I’m happy about where this whole thing’s at,” Venable said Sunday in the visiting manager’s office at Comerica Park. “And I’m OK with whatever the result is, as long as we continue this process of coming to the ballpark with a good attitude, giving everything that we have, bringing a ton of energy, learning from our mistakes and the experiences in the game and doing the same thing the next day. That, for me, is what this is all about. I believe that has happened every day this year.”
That starts with the coaching staff Venable assembled in the offseason. After inheriting much of former manager Pedro Grifol’s staff last season, Venable has surrounded himself with handpicked hires who went through a thorough vetting process, led by Sox director of leadership, culture and continuing education Brian Mahler and assistant general manager Josh Barfield.
It was important to Venable that his coaches were aligned in their ideas and skills. While some managers might hire coaches who don’t pose a threat to their own employment, Venable wanted a staff he could rely on. He empowers his coaches to do their jobs, delegating and “knowing when to stay out of the way.”
“[Pitching coach] Zach Bove and [hitting coach] Derek Shomon and all those other guys are so impactful for our group,” Venable said. “We always talk about our group’s ability to continue to fight, continue to battle, and a lot of it has to do with the players that we have, but so much of it has to do with [the coaches]. What they do is really the driving force behind our team identity.
“I’ve been asked about my impact and all of that, and I always say that my impact on that is just allowing them to do their work because they’re such good coaches.”
Venable also entered his second year with a better understanding of the Sox’ players, allowing him to reprioritize the details he wanted to emphasize. When the team arrived for spring training, Venable was better able to set expectations, design practices and devise strategy for players. The Sox had a clear program that fit their team.
“That’s the biggest thing,” Venable said. “I came into Year 1 with things that were important to me, and you say this is what we’re going to do. And maybe those things and how you go about it aren’t right for that group, and you have to adjust — having a better idea in Year 2 with this group of just what those details are that we want to prioritize.”
As for managing the team, Venable has a lot of support there, too. He’ll meet with coaches and front-office staff — such as bench coach Walker McKinven and director of major-league strategy Graham Harboe — after games to review decisions. The meetings aren’t interrogations of Venable, filled with second-guessing. They’re collaborative, open conversations.
“That’s time where if there’s something that I think that I could’ve done better, we talk about it there,” Venable said. “Sometimes other people will say, I didn’t even notice that or I think you did the right thing. We get through some of those things, whether they’re mistakes or not, postgame with the group.”
Venable tries to be objective about his managing. In a process-oriented occupation, sometimes the decision-making process needs to be examined, not just the decision itself. Venable is aware — sometimes painfully — that every decision won’t work and that he’ll make mistakes. But he said as long as those experiences help hone the process, it’s valuable.
As it was with the game in which Montgomery starred.
“The safety squeeze is a play that has been beneficial for us, especially in parts of our order,” Venable said. “And there was different information as those plays were coming in, which it was appropriate for me to pivot. That is part of again not being upset that it didn’t work or that we didn’t execute it, but the process by which I just didn’t make the adjustment.
“So learn from that and move on. It’s a process that never ends.”