GLENDALE, Ariz. — Wednesday’s workday for Will Venable began around 5:30 a.m. MT, marking his first official time on the field as White Sox manager. He actually arrived at 5 a.m., with a staff workout to follow 30 minutes later.
“Got to get here about 5 o’clock, get that P4 in you and get ready for that 5:30 workroom to open up,” a smiling Venable said after pitchers and catchers were in action at Camelback Ranch. “Not mandatory, but yeah, you’ve got to get in there and do what you can to stay in shape.”
The White Sox hope to be in better shape during Venable’s first year at the helm after they set a single-season Modern Era record (since 1901) with 121 losses in 2024. Venable was on the Rangers’ coaching staff at that point, so all he can worry about is the here and now.
His message to the players on Day 1 set the tone and expectations for work they want to do, and things they want to accomplish over the next six weeks. But Venable also addressed what makes a productive camp overall in his mind.
“One, supporting the guys to get all the things done that they want to accomplish,” Venable said. “Certainly, the team fundamentals that we have that are important to executing and winning games are things that we need to go out and complete.
“And then staying healthy. Obviously we have a lot of guys that are going to be important to this thing, and we need them all to be healthy.”
Position players don’t officially enter into the picture until Feb. 17, but many of those White Sox players already are in camp. The White Sox aren’t built to contend in 2025 at this stage of the rebuild, but Venable will do what he can to help this team get on the right path.
“For me today, I think it’s just [about] creating a positive environment for these guys to come to every day, as well as structure and support to help them do the things they need to do individually,” Venable said. “We know that there’s going to be a lot going on in the season. But to stay positive and make sure these guys are coming into a place everyday where they can feel comfortable and be themselves, that’s a big part of my job.”
“We’ve all been able to take the offseason, reflect, be able to turn the page and move into this year,” White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon said. “There’s a lot of reasons to be excited for this season, so we are all excited to get back out there.”
