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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Daryl Van Schouwen

White Sox finalize coaching staff

Charlie Montoyo, officially named White Sox bench coach Tuesday, watches workouts at Toronto Blue Jays spring training in 2020 Montoyo was fired as Blue Jays manager during the 2022 season. (Steve Nesius/The Canadian Press via AP)

It was known that pitching coach Ethan Katz would be back, that Charlie Montoyo would be the new bench coach and that Triple-A Charlotte hitting coach Chris Johnson would be promoted to the major league staff in some capacity.

It was also known that hitting coach Frank Menechino, assistant hitting coach Howie Clark and third base coach Joe McEwing and bench coach Miguel Cairo would not be part of new White Sox manager Pedro Grifol’s staff.

On Tuesday, the Sox filled in the blanks, naming Jose Castro hitting coach, Johnson assistant hitting coach, Eddie Rodriguez third base coach, and Mike Tosar as major league fielding coordinator.

Daryl Boston returns for his 11th season as first base coach and 26th as a coach in the organization.

Geoff Head was named senior director of sports performance.

Castro, 64, enters his first season as a major-league hitting coach after serving as the assistant hitting coach with the Atlanta Braves for the last eight years. A native of Havana, Cuba, Castro has nine years of coaching experience in the majors (2015-22 with Atlanta and 2014 with the Cubs, as quality assurance coach). He also served as the interim hitting coach with the Mariners in 2008.

Rodríguez, 63, begins his first season as the Sox third-base coach after spending three seasons as Kansas City’s minor-league field coordinator. Among his 40 years of professional coaching experience, Rodríguez has served as the Royals third base coach (2011-13), Seattle’s first base coach (2008), Frank Robinson’s bench coach in Montreal (2004) and Washington (2005-06), Arizona’s third base (2002-03) and first base coach (2001) and Toronto’s third base coach (1998).  

Tosar, 54, spent the last three seasons as a special assignment hitting coach in the Kansas City organization.

Grifol takes over after two seasons of Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa at the helm. In La Russa’s final season, the Sox finished with a 81-81 record, most disappointing for a team that talked World Series during spring training.

Grifol, 52, spent the last 10 seasons with the Royals, including the last three as bench coach.

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