When the nine-year MLB playing career that he’s always underselling ended,White Sox manager Will Venable started out with the amorphous job title that’s often the stuff of envy across the industry: special assistant.
What he found about himself eventually landed him in a position on the opposite side of the spectrum for public scrutiny.
“I like to help players be better,” Venable told the Sun-Times in September, when asked what part of his job doesn’t feel like work. “They each require a certain type of attention and support that we have to figure out. I like to figure out that puzzle, and I also really enjoy just being responsible for the overall environment.”
After 84 wins, the franchise’s first playoff series victory in 21 years, and a summer where the White Sox’ environment was the envy of the league, Venable is the American League Manager of the Year in his second season. He appeared on 29 of 30 ballots and received 15 first-place votes to edge out Kevin Cash, the manager of the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays.
“I do view this very much as an organizational award,” Venable said Tuesday night. “Because we are such a collaborative group, really at every level of our organization, starting with ownership.”
His players would argue there are limits to how much Venable should be allowed to defer credit.
“Everything starts with Will,” said Miguel Vargas in October, who has gone from fighting for his place in the league to an All-Star over Venable’s tenure. “The way he lets us lead the clubhouse. He’s an example every single day for us too. He lets us be ourselves and have fun.”
“When you have guys trying to prove themselves to their own dugout or to their own teammates, it’s usually a toxic culture that isn’t going to get you anywhere,” said starting pitcher Davis Martin. “We built something special here where you know good, bad, or indifferent of how you perform on the field, you know the guys love you for who you are.”
Sometimes, praising Venable’s soft skills can be a way of eliding discussion of in-game tactics, which his team’s success brought under greater scrutiny.
His style is busy — the Sox led MLB in relief innings, were third in pinch-hitters, fourth in pinch-runners — offering countless points for second-guessing. Talking to Venable reveals his moves to be resting upon a latticework of research from analysts, workload restrictions from medical staff, and other considerations invisible to the public, rather than easily defended baseball bromides.
While Venable is process-oriented to a degree that’s unfamiliar to this franchise, he wears the moves that don’t work in the traditional fashion.
“Perfection is impossible, but he’s always trying to be [perfect], and that’s what the great ones do,” said Sox field coordinator, and Venable’s close friend Chris Denorfia, who joined the coaching staff this year. “I knew that he was good at this. But I am almost in a constant sense of awe and amazement just watching him.”
Denorfia talks of a “million little processes” Venable puts his staff through in the name of constantly improving the White Sox operation, of which their award-winning skipper now seems like an essential part. The team rarely discusses contract details of staff members publicly, and the sixth manager of the year award in franchise history has yet to make the Sox start talking about an extension for Venable.
Still, their feelings are pretty clear.
“He’s been a tremendous partner,” said general manager Chris Getz. “My hope is that Will and I can work together for a long time.”
Vote total (Tabulated on a 5-3-1 basis)
| 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | Total | |
| Will Venable, White Sox | 15 | 11 | 3 | 111 |
| Kevin Cash, Tampa Bay | 12 | 12 | 2 | 98 |
| Chad Tracy, Boston | 3 | 5 | 17 | 47 |
| Stephen Vogt, Cleveland | – | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| Aaron Boone, New York | – | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Joe Espada, Houston | – | – | 1 | 1 |