Renteria focused on getting White Sox moving forward
In advance of SoxFest this weekend at the Hilton Chicago, Rick Renteria was a guest at Benito Juarez Community Academy on Wednesday.
It was a fitting stop for the Chicago White Sox's new manager.
As he met with members of the baseball team and whipped up a lunch of queso fundido in a culinary class, Renteria also delivered a strong message to the students at the Pilsen neighborhood high school. He urged them to chase their dreams and never give up. He spoke of perspective and balance.
"I feel like we have to motivate, encourage and inspire people to be the best they can be," Renteria said.
When he appears at SoxFest this weekend and heads into spring training next month, Renteria will be giving his players similar speeches.
After taking over for departed manager Robin Ventura the day after the disappointing 2016 season ended, Renteria soon found himself overseeing a rebuilding project when top starter Chris Sale and outfielder Adam Eaton were moved in separate trades in early December for seven minor-league prospects.
Even more moves are expected through spring training and the regular season as the White Sox look to continue stockpiling young talent with an eye toward the future.
"We're all excited," Renteria said. "There were changes made, obviously, during the winter. We acquired some pretty top-notch talent. I think it's incumbent upon us now to kind of put the structure together, see if we can move them forward."
The Sox had a good idea they were going to rebuild even before last season ended, and they wasted little time naming Renteria the new manager because they considered him the perfect fit.
The 55-year-old Californian managed a young Chicago Cubs team to a 73-89 record in 2014. When Joe Maddon became available after that season, the Cubs fired Renteria.
In addition to serving as White Sox bench coach last season, Renteria spent six seasons on the Padres' major-league coaching staff, he managed Team Mexico in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, and he managed eight years in the minor leagues, including with the Kane County Cougars.
Renteria also played five major-league seasons with the Pirates, Mariners and Marlins, primarily at second and third base.
Now, he'll try to rebuild the White Sox and eventually get them into the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
"There is a large process of developing players, but in the end we have to be White Sox first," Renteria said. "Their purpose should be to bring a championship to the White Sox, first and foremost. From that stems everything else. Those are things I've learned from my past experiences, things I'm going to bring to the table here, hopefully."
Renteria brings a lot of energy and encouragement, but he has been in the game a long time and knows that's not always going to be enough.
"My personality is a little different than others, but I can be a little firm when I need to be and be as relaxed as I need to be," Renteria said. "But they're all human beings. They're not robots."
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