Renteria brings new voice to Chicago White Sox's coaching staff
As the Chicago White Sox wrapped up their third straight losing season last year, much of the blame was placed on a string of high-priced players that failed to perform.
Still, there was a strong sense that at least one member of the Sox' coaching staff was going to pay for another poor showing.
It wasn't manager Robin Ventura. It was bench coach Mark Parent.
"Mark is a good baseball man, and it is unfortunate that how we played out on the field is having these repercussions for him personally," general manager Rick Hahn said after firing Parent. "But we did get to the point where we think it is important to add a different voice to our coaching staff."
Rick Renteria is the new voice, and he brings a wealth of experience as Ventura's new bench coach.
In addition to managing the Chicago Cubs in 2014 and being let go when Joe Maddon became available, the 54-year-old Renteria was on the San Diego Padres' coaching staff for six years and he was a minor-league manager for eight seasons, including one year (1999) with the Kane County Cougars.
Understandably stunned by being fired by the Cubs after receiving a vote of confidence from club president Theo Epstein, Renteria retreated to his off-season home in California last year.
He was expected to reunite with ex-Padres manager and close friend Bud Black as the Washington Nationals' bench coach this season. But when a contract dispute prevented Black from becoming the Nats' manager, Renteria was available and the White Sox swooped in.
"I'm not sure we could have found a better fit for us in terms of his experience and intelligence, his communication skills, his baseball acumen," Hahn said after hiring Renteria on Nov. 10. "He's going to help make the entire staff stronger. He's a likable guy who gets along with everybody in the clubhouse and brings the same positive demeanor each day. He knows the game extremely well. He's a teacher. He's had success with young players and fits pretty much everything we were looking for in that role."
Renteria is happy to be back in the game.
"Obviously, we all know the game is always going to be about the players, but hopefully we as coaches and staff can impart something that will help them move forward," Renteria said. "Hopefully, that's what I'll be able to do as part of the new staff here."
With Ventura entering the final year of his contract, there is obvious speculation that Renteria is the Sox's next manager in waiting.
"It is what it is, and we'll deal with that as we go along," Ventura said. "I don't look at that as we are always looking over our shoulder. We have stuff to do and that's what he's here to do."