So much of the language about the impact of managerial changes is vague to the point of meaninglessness. Vibes are constantly being assessed, energies are being differentiated, messaging is being changed.
Well, sometimes that last one actually can be cleanly identified. The "Play 'FAST' Today" t-shirts did disappear pretty swiftly after Pedro Grifol was dismissed on Aug. 8, alongside the placards on the wall spelling out the acronym, or asking passing players what they were prepared to sacrifice for the team on this day. Within weeks, the whole effort was being openly described as unsuccessful, which the standings made clear enough.
"We tried to force the ‘Play F.A.S.T.’ motto," Garrett Crochet said at the close of the season. "What we were trying to do with ‘Play F.A.S.T.’ was go out there and be Cleveland, and we’re not Cleveland. Though they play a very admirable brand of baseball, that’s just not who we are."
And in theme with the idea that trying to force a style upon a deeply limited White Sox roster had failed, Grady Sizemore's work as interim manager found praise from a roster -- already cohesive upon him taking over -- for not attempting such a thing. Nor extolling the idea that an already doomed season needed to rally around a mission of avoiding an all-time record for most losses that the White Sox ultimately steered right into. The 2024 White Sox harshly punished all ambition, so Sizemore won hearts and minds by taking them as they were, and trying to take a big share of the burden.
"When you think 'just try to avoid this,' you kind of think it or talk it into existence more than just not doing that," said Andrew Benintendi. "[Sizemore] has been just even-keeled and almost kind of calming in a way. It's not been easy for anybody around here at all. I can't imagine; he's got to answer more questions than we do every single day. It's nice to have someone weather the storm."
Inheriting a team that had just been stripped down at the deadline and wound up being heavily composed of waiver claims, rookies and veterans who had been rundown and dispirited by all the losing and personal poor performances, Sizemore's message of professional empathy and support seemed emotionally matched for the moment. The Sox were just trying to survive 2024, and Sizemore emphasized that they would get through it, and it didn't have to feel like a slog even as it still looked like one in the box score.
"It was more of an environmental change," Nicky Lopez, "He told a lot of us to just chill and play with some freedom, and I think a lot of it was necessary because it was a tough year. He was great when he was in the other role, too. But I really do truly hope that he's back there next year."
The White Sox have pledged to put Sizemore through the process as a serious candidate to become the permanent manager. He certainly has plenty of enthusiastic backers in uniform, but it represents Chris Getz breaking from a purposeful declaration of intent to hire outside the organization at a time when he's trying to make a lot of such hires, and demonstrate the White Sox as possessing a process that can keep pace with the rest of the league.
Whether that represents simply a level of respect for the job Sizemore's done, or winds up being a stronger continuation of the active role this front office has played in incubating Sizemore's post-playing career in baseball, could speak to how closely the approach Sizemore took to finish out the worst season ever hues to the needs of the 2025 team.
Positional production from the White Sox was so awful that plenty of turnover should be expected even among clubhouse leaders, as one look at their arbitration-eligibles suggests a bloodbath wouldn't be without its reasons. But Getz has already presaged a quiet offseason where improvement would largely depend upon internal development, from plenty of young players Sizemore was working to make comfortable in the final two months.
"He's a very a positive person," Lenyn Sosa said via interpreter. "He’s a person that you respect, that keeps you confident."
"I think going forward with the mindset of we're good enough to win, then everything's going to be pretty good in the future," said Brooks Baldwin, who also extolled the value of not dwelling on the team's record. "The mindset we have is we're playing against the best, so we're going to prepare to be the best."
So is the pick-me-up approach that resonated with a 2024 team that needed their confidence restored the same method needed to install a better brand of baseball going forward? It's hard to say "yes" with much confidence since until the final week, the Sox didn't play any better -- or even much less sloppy -- under Sizemore. But part of his growth in interest in managing has been Sizemore developing a fuller idea of what he'd do with a proper chance to build a new team culture next spring.
"Learning everything we did this year you want to come in with a different game plan on how to get better," Sizemore said. "Obviously this year it didn’t work out. We can’t come in with the same thing. We have to find out what our identity is and how we’re going to win games. Our pitching staff has established itself as a strength at this point. We have a lot of tough, young arms that are going to be really good for us in the rotation. The bullpen is looking good. So now it’s playing good defense and how are we going to manufacture runs?
"It’s not like we’re going to slug the ball out of the ballpark all the time so we have to find ways to get on base and create pressure and be aggressive. That would be the mindset for me next year. We have to find ways to score runs, to play good defense and make all the plays and get behind this staff that I think is going to be really good and give them an opportunity to win.
"Cleveland is a good example. They play good defense, they have a strong back end of the bullpen. Everyone is going to do it differently. You have to take the personnel you have and maximize it. Cleveland is going to be different than us. They have certain players in certain positions. We have to maximize our strengths. That’s going to be defense and pitching. Now we have to find a way to manufacture runs."
It's not a fully realized vision, but it's certainly tinged with the realism that a full season of working with a team at the bottom will bring. For years, the most immediate opportunity to lend realism to the White Sox outlook has been to interview managers from outside the organization as a means of gaining real perspective of where their deficiencies lie. By all outward indicators, Getz & Co. are still looking to mine that process for what it's worth.
Even if any new hire's first tasks upon starting --establishing rapport and gaining player buy-in -- are something Sizemore seemingly already has in his back pocket, it's essential to the project that it's not the deciding factor. The White Sox have too far to go to be that excited about a small head start.
"It would still be a new situation in spring training, but I think regardless I'll feel probably a little bit more comfortable and at home coming in next year and having a chance to build a relationship with the guys, and know where we're at from an organizational standpoint," Sizemore said. "In that way I'll feel comfortable. But I don't know if I'll ever get used to all this."
