Former Dodgers Catcher, Outfielder Among Managerial Candidates for White Sox: Report
The Chicago White Sox are reportedly considering both a former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher and outfielder for their vacant managerial job.
A.J. Ellis was known to Dodgers fans as Clayton Kershaw’s preferred catcher during his nine year run in Los Angeles.
Ellis’ playing career ended in 2018 as a member of the San Diego Padres and he has not left the National League West rivals since.
The Padres added Ellis to their baseball operations staff in 2019. While his exact role is hard to define, he has made quite an impact on some of the younger players in the organization.
“He helped remind me of who I am as a person, that my title is not ‘baseball player,’” Austin Hedges, 26, said. “I have way more titles that are more important to me, as a son, a friend, a teammate. He’d send me Bible verses that would really hit home with me, that helped him get through similar things. Just those little things, he was always there with positive reinforcement to help me get back, and once I was, it just never stopped.
“He’s been one of the biggest role models of my life.”
According to Josh Nelson and James Fegan of Sox Machine, three names have emerged as the search narrows: Ellis, George Lombard, and Skip Schumaker.
Schumaker is the only one of the three with major league managerial experience while Lombard coached Ellis with the Dodgers in 2016. Schumaker spent a year with the Dodgers as an outfielder in 2013.
Ellis’ current role with the Padres is the only job he has had since retiring from playing. San Diego has reached the postseason in three of the last five seasons — the most successful five-year run in franchise history.
Chicago is looking for a change of pace after finishing the season with a modern-era record with 121 losses in 2024. Pedro Grifol was fired from his post as manager midseason and replaced him with Sizemore on an interim basis.
The White Sox have started informing some candidates that they have been eliminated from consideration for their open manager position, according to Josh Nelson and James Fegen.
Regardless of who Chicago hires, the White Sox have nowhere to go but up.
Photo Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
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