FIELD STAFF Robin Ventura Begins His Fourth Season As White Sox Manager in 2015
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FIELD STAFF Robin Ventura begins his fourth season as White Sox manager in 2015. ROBIN VENTURA 23 OFFICE FRONT MANAGER Given Name: Robin Mark Ventura Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 6-1 Weight: 200 Opening Day Age: 47 (July 14, 1967) FIELD STAFF PLAYERS Birthplace/Residence: Santa Maria, Calif. First Pro Contract: Chicago White Sox, selected in the fi rst round (10th overall), June 1988 free agent draft. Sox Acquisition: Hired as a special assignment instructor, June 6, 2011. Contract Status: Agreed to terms on a multi-year contract, October 6, 2011. 2014 SEASON MOST GRAND SLAMS WHITE SOX ALL-TIME Guided the White Sox to a 10-game improvement from 2013, IN MLB HISTORY HOME RUN LEADERS going 73-89 in his third season at the helm. Category No. Player HR Earned his 200th victory as Sox manager on 7/29 at Detroit … Alex Rodriguez 24 Frank Thomas 448 was ejected on 6/4 at the Dodgers and 8/13 at San Francisco. Lou Gehrig 23 Paul Konerko 432 Rookie Jose Abreu, Alexei Ramirez and Chris Sale repre- Manny Ramirez 21 Harold Baines 221 sented the White Sox at the All-Star Game. Eddie Murray 19 Carlton Fisk 214 OPPONENTS Agreed to terms on a multiyear contract extension on 1/24. Robin Ventura 18 Magglio Ordonez 187 Willie McCovey 18 Robin Ventura 171 MANAGERIAL HIGHLIGHTS Was named the 39th manager in White Sox history on PLAYING CAREER 10/6/11, replacing former teammate Ozzie Guillen. Is the 18th former White Sox player to manage the club … he Spent 16 seasons in the major leagues with the White Sox and Philadelphia’s Ryne Sandberg are the only current manag- (1989-98), Mets (1999-2001), Yankees (2002-03) and Dodg- ers to be drafted and play with the clubs they now manage. ers (2003-2004) … played for managers Jeff Torborg, Bobby 2014 REVIEW RECORDS His 294 career home runs are the second-highest total Valentine, Hall-of-Famer Joe Torre and Jim Tracy. among current managers, trailing only Washington’s Matt Wil- Was a .267 (1,885-7,064) hitter with 294 home runs and 1,182 liams (378). RBI in 2,079 career games … won six Gold Gloves (1991-93, Has been ejected nine times in his three seasons. 1996, 1998-99) and was a two-time All-Star (1992 and 2002). Was hired by the Sox as a special advisor to then Director Hit 20 or more home runs nine times and drove in 100-plus of Player Development Buddy Bell on 6/6/11 … in that role, he three times … batted .340 (64-188) with 18 home runs and 214 visited each of the White Sox minor-league affi liates, evaluating RBI with the bases loaded … his 18 career grand slams are tied player performance and reporting to Bell. for fi fth in major-league history. Received MVP votes in 1991 and 1999 … appeared in fi ve HISTORY 2013 SEASON different postseasons with the White Sox (1993), Mets (1999, 2000), Yankees (2002) and Dodgers (2004). Was selected by manager Jim Leyland to serve on the Ameri- can League coaching staff at the All-Star Game at New York’s Hit .274 (1,244-4,542) with 171 home runs and 741 RBI in Citi Field … pitchers Jesse Crain and Chris Sale represented 1,254 games over 10 seasons with the Sox … ranks among the the White Sox at the Midsummer Classic. franchise leaders in grand slams (T1st, 10), walks (5th, 668), home runs (6th), RBI (8th) and extra-base hits (10th, 402). Recorded his 100th victory on 5/12 vs. the Angels … missed Recorded 21 career multihomer games and drove in six-plus games on 6/6-7 vs. Oakland to attend family graduation ceremo- runs on six occasions with a career high of eight. nies in California … was ejected three times. His best season came in 1999 with the Mets when he batted Was inducted into the Omaha College Baseball Hall of Fame .301 (177-588) with 32 home runs and 120 RBI … hit a game- on 7/3. ending “grand slam” in the 15th inning of Game 5 of the 1999 2012 SEASON ALCS vs. Atlanta to give the Mets a 4-3 win … the slam was ruled a single after he did not touch all the bases. Guided the White Sox to an 85-77 (.524) record in his fi rst Became the fi rst player in history to hit grand slams in each MINOR LEAGUES season at the helm, fi nishing second in the American League game of a doubleheader on 5/20/99 vs. Milwaukee. Central, 3.0 games behind Detroit. Suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right 85 wins were the most by a Sox fi rst-year manager since ankle sliding into home plate during a spring training game on Gene Lamont went 86-76 in 1992. 3/21/97 … returned to play in 54 games that season … started Was one of three fi nalists for AL Manager of the Year, along a 5-4-3 triple play on 6/6/96 at Boston. with Oakland’s Bob Melvin and Baltimore’s Buck Showalter. Became the eighth player in major-league history to hit The Sox were in fi rst place for 117 days, including every day two grand slams in one game on 9/4/95 at Texas (fi rst since from 7/24-9/25 (63 days) and all but eight from 5/29-9/25. Baltimore’s Frank Robinson in 1970) and the fourth to connect Led the division by as many as 3.5 games (three times) and MEDIA/MISC. in consecutive innings (fourth and fi fth) … fi nished with a career- were a season-high 16 games over .500 (71-55) on 8/26. high eight RBI, matching the Sox franchise record. Made his managerial debut in a 3-2 loss at Texas on 4/6 … Was ejected on 8/4/93 at Texas after charging Nolan Ryan on earned his fi rst victory the next night, 4-3, over the Rangers. the mound … was named AL Player of the Month for July 1991 Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, Jake Peavy and Chris Sale … endured a 0-41 slump during his rookie season of 1990. represented the White Sox at the All-Star Game in Kansas City Was selected in the fi rst round (10th overall) of the 1988 draft … was ejected four times. out of Oklahoma State University. 2015 MEDIA GUIDE 17 COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT WHITE SOX PLAYER/MANAGERS Since becoming manager, has made several visits to Lurie Player Manager Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House. Name Years Years Along with his wife, Stephanie, participated in Chicago White Robin Ventura 1989-98 2012- Sox Charities “Wild Pitches” event … fi lmed an anti-bullying PSA Ozzie Guillen 1985-97 2004-11 and visited McClellan Elementary School in January of 2014 for Don Kessinger 1977-79 1979 FRONT OFFICE FRONT an anti-bullying presentation. Larry Doby 1956-59 1978 In 2013, made a special visit to Gilda’s Club Chicago, spend- Les Moss 1955-58 1968 ing time with men and women living with cancer and participated Ted Lyons 1923-42, ‘46 1946-48 in a special “gentle yoga” session with members. Jimmy Dykes 1933-39 1935-46 Prior to the 2012 season, participated in the taping of an Lew Fonseca 1931-33 1932-34 anti-bullying PSA, along with Gordon Beckham, John Danks Lena Blackburne 1910-12 1928-29 and Alexei Ramirez. ‘14-15, ‘27, ‘29 Was reunited in May 2012 with Ryan Reithel, a former pe- FIELD STAFF Ray Schalk 1912-28 1927-28 diatric cancer patient at the old Children’s Memorial Hospital in Eddie Collins 1915-26 1924-26 Lincoln Park, whom he fi rst visited at the hospital in 1991. Ed Walsh 1928-30, ‘32 1924 Johnny Made his fi rst visit to the new Lurie Children’s Hospital, ac- Evers 1922 1924 companied by Reithel, to dedicate the new “Chicago White Sox Kid Gleason 1912 1919-23 Play Area” in the Pediatric Oncology fl oor of the hospital. Billy Sullivan 1901-12, ‘14 1909 appeared in “A Christmas Carol” at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre Fielder Jones 1901-08 1904-08 In December 2011 with Make-A-Wish recipient Emily Beazley Nixey Callahan 1901-05 1903-04, as part of a partnership with the non-profi t organization. ‘11-13 ‘12-14 While playing for the Mets and Yankees, sponsored an an- Clark Griffi th 1901-02 1901-02 nual Robin Ventura All-Star Bowling Tournament to raise money for the New York Police and Fire Widows and Children’s Benefi t Fund, Inc. MISCELLANEOUS/PERSONAL Hosted the Robin Ventura All-Star Classic to support the Married Stephanie … has four children: Rachel, Madison, Chelsea Piers Scholarship Fund, which allowed underprivileged Grace and Jack. youths to attend sports programs throughout New York City. Attended Oklahoma State University, where he was named OPPONENTS Was actively involved with Children’s Memorial Hospital and College Player of the Decade by Baseball America and was the The United Way while playing for the Sox. third baseman on Baseball America’s All-Time College All-Star Received honorable mention recognition in 1996 for the USA Team … was a three-time All-America selection. Weekend Most Caring Athlete Award … made a PSA in 1995 Was named 1986 Freshman of the Year by Baseball America following the Oklahoma City bombing. after hitting .469 and was named National Player of the Year by the same publication as a sophomore in 1987 when he batted .428 with 21 home runs and 110 RBI.