Not only did he empower the youngest team in the American League to reach the playoffs, Will Venable made history with the way he managed the Chicago White Sox this season, earning his nominee as a finalist for the AL Manager of the Year, announced today with the remaining BBWAA award finalists.
Just a few weeks ago, Sporting News honored Venable with the publication’s award for AL Manager of the Year, and to be named a finalist in the BBWAA awards is hardly a surprise. The South Siders were coming
off of three consecutive 100-loss seasons, and Venable led a team full of rookies — and roughly two total starting pitchers — to the playoffs, just shy of the AL Central title. In the history of MLB, no team has ever bounced back from two straight 100-loss seasons (let alone three!) the way the White Sox did this year. And they even swept the Wild Card series and took the Guardians to a winner-take-all game five in the ALDS before succumbing to their fatigue and inexperience.
It’s not a secret that the Chicago White Sox clubhouse was radiating good vibes and positivity throughout the 2026 season, and this team of South Siders likely wouldn’t have been the same without Will Venable at the helm. While there were a few times that his inexperience was exposed (see the Noach Schultz five-batter incident), or his undying loyalty to the pitching matchup when building a lineup, Will Venable built a foundation of trust within the clubhouse that spilled into their performance onto the field. In 2025, the South Siders finished the season at 60-102, and he managed to improve their overall record by 24-games (84-78).
15 White Sox players made their major league debuts this season — behind only the San Francisco Giants and the Toronto Blue Jays — and even with a rocky April, Venable empowered the Good Guys to recover and be competitive. The coaches he has brought in have also been solid so far, and the South Siders wound up with one of the best offenses in baseball: they ranked first in the American League (fifth in MLB) in runs scored (776) and RBIs (740), while mashing 211 home runs as a team, second in the AL and fifth in all of baseball.
The other two managers listed as finalists alongside Venable were Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays, and Chad Tracy from the Boston Red Sox, who are also solid candidates given each team’s season. Tampa Bay was the best team in the AL all season, and Cash led the Rays to win the AL pennant before falling to the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series. As for the Red Sox, they fired Alex Cora and decided to overhaul the coaching staff not even 30 games into the season, and though they ultimately fell to the New York Yankees in the Wild Card, Chad Tracy led them on an insane 15-game win streak in July while finishing with a 77-58 record after he took over. Stay tuned for next Thursday, November 10, when the award winners will be announced.
Who do you have winning the AL Manager of the year? Let us know in the comments!
