The White Sox announced the hiring of Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol as the 42nd manager of the club. He has agreed to a multiyear contract, according to the team.
“Pedro is a bilingual, modern baseball thinker who brings two-plus decades of experience in a variety of roles – bench coach, hitting coach, winter ball and minor league manager, director of player development and scout,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “He is an excellent communicator and an experienced game planner who brings a high energy and detail-oriented approach to leadership. He is committed to building an inclusive and cohesive clubhouse, and we could not be happier to have Pedro leading our club.”
Pitching coach Ethan Katz is expected to return under Grifol's staff, according to Ken Rosenthal.
Grifol, 52, reportedly interviewed with the team back in early October, along with the likes of Joe Espada, Ron Washington, Carlos Mendoza, Miguel Cairo and Ozzie Guillén.
He has spent the past 10 seasons with the Kansas City Royals. During the last three, he served as the team's bench coach.
Before his time in Kansas City, he spent 12 years in the Seattle Mariners organization. He served as a minor league manager with their Double-A affiliate and was once the Director of Minor League operations.
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The longtime coach interviewed with the Miami Marlins and Royals during the offseason, but the positions were filled by Skip Schumaker and Matt Quatraro, respectively.
Grifol will succeed Tony La Russa, who stepped away from his post as manager at the end of the season due to health issues. La Russa held the manager position for two seasons.
Grifol checks the boxes Rick Hahn declared at the end of the season. He has "recent dugout experience" and was a key role in the Royals' 2015 World Series win. He has no "White Sox DNA," which was not a prerequisite for the position, according to Hahn.