ATLANTA — There were sighs of relief in the White Sox’ clubhouse this month when they beat the Angels on the road for their 42nd victory.
One of the biggest came from Grady Sizemore, who only a year earlier had been thrust into the lowlight as interim manager of a team headed for the worst season (41-121) in baseball history.
Left to run out the clock on the broken team’s finish in the wake of erstwhile Sox manager Pedro Grifol, Sizemore says he’s grateful for the 45 games he helmed in 2024, no matter the grimaces that season will always draw from Sox fans.
But back in the clubhouse on first-year manager Will Venable’s staff under the broad title of offensive coordinator, Sizemore says it has been more rewarding to foster growth on a young team that’s learning to lose less.
“If there was one major goal, it was to improve on the win total from last year, but I don’t think we’ve focused on that,” Sizemore said while making his rounds in the clubhouse before the Sox’ 1-0 loss Wednesday to the Braves.
“It’s really been about trying to get the best version of these guys as we can. We knew if we did that, [beating the ’24 win total] wouldn’t be an issue or anything. There’s still a long way to go. Now that we’ve done that, there’s still a lot more that we want to accomplish.”
One thing they could aim for is losing fewer than 100 games, something the Sox haven’t done since 2022. But going 18-17 the rest of the way is probably a long shot for the 45-82 squad, even with their improved second-half performance.
Another thing they probably can’t look forward to is passing the all-time worst baton to the Rockies, who earlier this year were on pace to sink well beyond 121 losses but now need only five wins to surpass the ’24 Sox.
Players and coaches are quick to dismiss the focus on ugly loss totals, pointing instead to the intangibles of building a winning culture from the ground up. And Sizemore, who says he never expected the Sox to keep him on as manager, feels like he got that started in the toughest of dog days.
“We tried to change that culture a little bit at the end of last year and build on it this year,’’ Sizemore said. ‘‘We also tried to separate a little bit and create a new atmosphere or a new attitude. Everyone’s done a good job of turning the page and setting a new standard or a new way of looking at how we go about it. But our core values are still the same.”
They’re the ones Sizemore shares with Venable and that he emphasizes in his day-to-day duties, which he describes mostly as support for hitting coach Marcus Thames and assistant hitting coach Joel McKeithan and getting their message through to a roster filled with rookies.
“We’re pushing these guys, maybe out of their comfort zone a little bit, and asking them to do things that maybe they haven’t done previously in their career, and that’s fun,” Sizemore said. “We’re trying to be the best version of the team we can. It’s not going to be easy, and we can’t afford to make mistakes. We’re trying to play as clean as possible and look for any little advantage we can grab.”
For now, Sizemore is enjoying life as a helping hand, but he says he’d like another shot at the manager’s office down the line — no record-breaking strings attached.
“I definitely enjoyed the experience,’’ he said, ‘‘and I hope that I can be back there one day. But right now I’m happy where I’m at, working with these guys and just trying to learn, so that if I’m fortunate enough to have that position again, I’ll be prepared and I’ll feel ready and just kind of know what I need to do to help the team.”