Rangers Grant White Sox Permission To Interview Will Venable, Donnie Ecker

On the heels of reporting earlier immediately that the White Sox had curiosity in Rangers bench coach and offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker for his or her managerial emptiness, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning Information reported this night that the Rangers have granted not solely Ecker but additionally affiliate supervisor Will Venable permission to interview with Chicago concerning their accessible managerial gig. Venable’s identify first surfaced in reference to the White Sox final week.

Ecker, 38, received his begin as a coach in 2015 with the Cardinals. He acted as a minor league hitting coach for St. Louis from 2015 to 2017 earlier than becoming a member of the Angels’ Triple-A membership in that very same function for the 2018 season. He first cracked the large leagues as an assistant hitting coach with the Reds in 2019. He remained with the membership for 2 years earlier than becoming a member of the Giants as a hitting coach previous to the 2020 season, and he caught in San Francisco for an additional two years earlier than once more altering organizations to affix the Rangers in his present function as bench coach and offensive coordinator previous to the 2022 season.

It’s a prolonged resume, and Ecker would carry views from 5 totally different massive league organizations to an infamously insular White Sox membership if employed. This isn’t the primary time Ecker has come up as a possible managerial candidate for a giant league membership, both. Final winter, Ecker was rumored among the many potential candidates to switch Gabe Kapler as supervisor in San Francisco earlier than they finally employed Bob Melvin away from the Padres.

Venable has additionally seen his identify come up in previous managerial searches and has lengthy been checked out as one of many league’s high up-and-coming potential managers. After taking part in components of 9 seasons within the majors, Venable joined the Cubs as a particular assistant to the entrance workplace in 2017 earlier than serving as first base coach within the following two seasons and third base coach in the course of the shortened 2020 marketing campaign. Venable departed Chicago following the 2020 season to turn into Alex Cora’s bench coach in Boston. He remained in that function for 2 years earlier than becoming a member of the Rangers as an affiliate supervisor beneath Bruce Bochy previous to the 2023 season.

Grant notes that Venable could possibly be the main contender to take Bochy’s place as supervisor in Texas when the 69-year-old ultimately returns to retirement. Venable was seemingly comfy with that association when he declined interviews with the Mets and Guardians final winter so as to stay with the Rangers, nevertheless it’s attainable he’s extra significantly contemplating departing the Rangers this winter amid uncertainty concerning Bochy’s plans for the long run. As Grant relays, Bochy advised reporters following the top of the 2024 common season that managing nonetheless “drives” him, seemingly leaving the door open to him sticking round past the top of his present contract in 2025.

The 2 Rangers coaches are hardly the one candidates related to the job, in fact. Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCullough and bench coach Danny Lehman, Tigers bench coach George Lombard, Padres particular assistant A.J. Ellis, former Angels skipper Phil Nevin, Cardinals bench coach Daniel Descalso, and outgoing Marlins supervisor Skip Schumaker have all been identify checked as potential candidates within the rumor mill, with Schumaker and McCullough getting explicit consideration as potential main candidates.

Whoever finally takes the reins in Chicago will enter an tumultuous state of affairs. Not solely is the membership coming off a disastrous 2024 marketing campaign that set the fashionable file for losses in a single season at 121, however the membership’s possession could possibly be up within the air following a report yesterday that indicated longtime proprietor Jerry Reinsdorf is discussing promoting the membership to former massive leaguer Dave Stewart. Whereas all that uncertainty and the seemingly lengthy timetable for a return to competition may make the membership’s managerial gig appear considerably unattractive, the relative shortage of huge league supervisor jobs is certain to attract the eye of high quality expertise nonetheless.