Former SF Giants coach granted permission to interview for White Sox managerial vacancy

Former SF Giants coach Donnie Ecker was with the club for a short time but he made a favorable impact on the players. His work has not gone unnoticed as the Texas Rangers have granted Ecker permission to interview for the Chicago White Sox managerial vacancy according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

Former SF Giants coach granted permission to interview for White Sox managerial vacancy

Grant also confirmed that the Rangers have allowed associate manager Will Venable to interview for that job as well. Both coaches are well-regarded throughout baseball and it would not be surprising to see both become managers sooner rather than later.

Taking on the White Sox job would be no easy task. After all, they just finished one of the worst seasons in basebll history after posting a 41-121 record. They did not look good on paper before the season started but it would have been tough to envision the season that they had.

The White Sox began the year with Pedro Grifol as the manager. However, they fired him midway through just his second season with the White Sox and he was replaced by former outfielder Grady Sizemore on an interim basis. Though, it is hard to put much blame on Grifol given how poorly the roster was constructed.

On the other hand, Donnie Ecker joined Gabe Kapler's coaching staff when he was hired after the 2019 season. Before joining San Francisco, Ecker was light on coaching experience. He spent a couple of seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals organization as a hitting coach, then one year with the Los Angeles Angels Triple-A club followed by two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.

There was certainly some risk in hiring Ecker to a key position on the coaching staff but it was a move that paid off almost immediately. During his two years with the Giants, the lineup became a solid unit. This included a strong 2021 season in which the team not only set a franchise record with 107 wins but with 241 home runs as well.

Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford had career resurgences after working with Ecker. Admittedly, it is always tough to identify what a coach's impact is, but Giants hitters often went out of their way to compliment Ecker's work.

Of course, when a team has success, that makes their personnel a popular target for other teams. The Texas Rangers hired Ecker to be their bench coach and offensive coordinator after the 2021 season. For Ecker, that was a chance at a promotion to go from a hitting coach to a bench coach. Oftentimes, being a bench coach is a good stepping stone to becoming a manager.

Ecker remained on the Rangers' staff even when Bruce Bochy took over in 2023. That proved to be an unforgettable year for the Rangers as they won their first World Series in franchise history.

Now, Ecker has a chance to take the next step in his career. Anyone who takes over for the White Sox will have a tall task in front of them.