In what’s likely a case of hate the game not the player, the rookie skipper generally passes muster so far
Our latest Reacts survey asked your opinion on how well Will Venable has performed as a rookie manager in 2025:
Skews generous, but C sounds about right. Between no real challenges presented to the manager (beyond the omnipresent losing that marks every White Sox season, it seems, and which he was well aware of) and it being just 90 or so games so far, Will has been an average manager. Which, honestly, makes him an outstanding hire give the last two skippers brought in.
Nationally, there were two questions posed to those polled. The first, in an apparent need to have Cubs featured in every national question, named DH Seiya Suzuki as the biggest All-Star snub of 2025. Players seem to be dropping out of the game like flies, so there’s still hope for the slugger.
Second is a funnier question. While I get the fact that starters don’t throw complete games any longer and injuries hover over ever single pitch thrown, those who think no pitcher will manage 3,000 strikeouts ever again must be high. We are in a supercharged era of power pitching and big swinging. There are more strikeouts in the 2020s than ever.
Or, let’s drill down to the case of Chris Sale, currently on the 60-day IL with a broken rib. Even if Sale is out for the season, he’s 36 years old and coming off of a Cy Young. Sure, he could be cooked. But this was a freak rib injury, not TJS. He’s averaged 8.23 strikeouts per game in his career (including his relief work with the White Sox), and thus needs just 58 games at that pace to reach 3,000 Ks. That’s two seasons. By the end of 2027, especially if Sale comes back for some starts in 2024, we’ll be on Sale 3 K Countdown.
No more 3,000-strikeout pitchers? Gimme a break.
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