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White Sox announce player development staff for upcoming season

As the White Sox come rolling out of a three-year rebuild this season, there are going to be plenty of new faces on the major-league roster.

Change is spilling down to the minor leagues as well, which was reflected in Monday's release of the 2020 player development staff.

There are two notable manager changes, with Wes Helms replacing Mark Grudzielanek in the Class AAA Charlotte dugout and Justin Jirschele taking over for Omar Vizquel at AA Birmingham.

Helms joined the Sox's organization last year and was Vizquel's bench coach at Birmingham. He filled the same role with Class AAA Lehigh Valley for the Phillies in 2018.

Over parts of 12 major-league seasons as a player for the Braves, Brewers, Marlins and Phillies, Helms batted .256 with 75 home runs and 374 RBI.

Once considered a candidate to manage the White Sox in the future, Vizquel left the Sox in November. "Omar and our organization agreed to head in different directions," director of player development Chris Getz said.

Vizquel's replacement, Jirschele, managed high Class A Winston-Salem last year.

Danny Farquhar, who retired as a reliever in 2019 and later joined Birmingham as a pitching coach, is coming back this year in the same role with Winston-Salem.

In April of 2018, Farquhar suffered a brain hemorrhage after pitching for the Sox in a game against the Astros.

Two local products will fill new roles with the White Sox this season.

Matt Zaleski, who was born in Arlington Heights and graduated from Driscoll Catholic High School, is Charlotte's new pitching coach.

After pitching in 316 minor-league games for the White Sox from 2004-14, Zaleski started his coaching career at Advanced Rookie Great Falls and worked his way up through the system.

Mike Gellinger, a Fremd High School product, will spend his 34th season in the Sox's system managing Great Falls.

• Single-game tickets for White Sox home games this season go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday. They are available at whitesox.com.

Beginning Feb. 24, the Guaranteed Rate Field ticket office will be open seven days a week, 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m. through 4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

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