White Sox: 3 Tony La Russa replacements not named Miguel Cairo after latest health update

3) White Sox could take a chance on A.J. Pierzynski

Baseball fans seem to either love or hate A.J. Pierzynski. It probably depends on whether or not he was good for your team or punched a player on your squad in the face.

Pierzynski has yet to manage in the big leagues. Maybe it’s his outgoing personality, the fact that he was a catcher, or a pattern the White Sox have followed which has led them back to familiar names and faces.

La Russa had already managed the club in the past. Two other recent managers, Robin Ventura and Ozzie Guillen, played for the team. Pierzynski is someone the White Sox organization knows well.

He would bring youth to the manager role but also some fire. Maybe as a manager he’d be a little less volatile—or possibly more. People do change when they retire. But if Pierzynski did exit the leisure of a post-playing career because he has seen his investments drop dramatically in the stock market this year, we’d have to assume some of the some attitude would return even if he’s now in his mid-40s.

The White Sox will have their pick of experienced manager candidates and others who would be first-timers. Being a manager is a results-driven job. La Russa didn’t get them. While we all wish him the best of health, it’s definitely time to move on.