White Sox Name Rick Renteria Manager

Rick Renteria, fired as Cubs manager after just one year when Joe Maddon became available following the 2014 season, was hired as manager of the White Sox on Monday, replacing Robin Ventura.

Renteria and Johnny Evers are the only men to manage both the Whit Sox and Cubs. Evers managed the Cubs in 1913 and 1921 and the White Sox in 1924.

Renteria, 54, is the 40th manager in White Sox history and the only current Latino manager in MLB. He spent this 2016 season as the White Sox bench coach.

“I appreciate this tremendous opportunity to manage the Chicago White Sox,” Renteria said in a statement. “It is a great honor as well as a great responsibility. Over the past season as Robin Ventura’s bench coach, I have gotten to know the players and staff very well, and I look forward to helping us achieve our goals together. We want to field a team that plays smart baseball, takes advantage of any opportunity within the game, and competes hard each and every day in a way that makes White Sox fans proud of our team’s effort.”

Renteria, who played five seasons in the majors, was a coach for the Padres from 2008-13 and managed Mexico in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

“Rick is incredibly well respected within the game as one of the top baseball men,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement. “We obviously have been very impressed by Rick over his past year as bench coach. He is a knowledgeable teacher of the game who loves to develop players and spends hours watching video looking for any nuance that gives us an edge. He is well respected within the clubhouse, and his ability to communicate in English and Spanish is a real plus as he interacts with our players.”

Ventura had a 375-435 (.463) record in five seasons.