Pedro Grifol
Pedro Orlando Grifol
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 1", Weight 197 lb.
- School Florida State University
- High School Christopher Columbus High School (Miami)
- Born November 28, 1969 in Miami, FL USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Catcher Pedro Grifol played and managed in the minors and coached in the majors. He was named manager of the Chicago White Sox for the 2023 season.
Grifol backed up Dan Wilson as Team USA's catcher in the 1987 World Junior Championship. He was 2 for 6 with a run for the Silver Medalists. He also played with Wilson in the 1989 Intercontinental Cup when the USA went 1-5.
He was taken in the 6th round of the 1991 amateur draft by the Minnesota Twins. He played several seasons in the Twins system before being picked up by the New York Mets in the minor league phase of the 1995 Rule V Draft. He played in the Mets organization through 1999.
Grifol was a scout for the Seattle Mariners and managed the Everett AquaSox from 2003 to 2005. He was then a minor league instructor in the Mariners system. In 2011, Grifol was the Mariners' Director of Minor League Operations. He returned to the field as manager of the High Desert Mavericks in 2012.
In 2013, Grifol was a roving hitting instructor in the Kansas City Royals' minor league system, until he was named as assistant hitting coach for the big league team on May 30th. That day, the Royals reassigned hitting coach Jack Maloof and his assistant, Andre David, to their minor league operations, while naming team legend George Brett as acting hitting coach, whith Grifol as his assistant. Brett stepped down on July 25th, explaining that he felt he had done the job that had been asked of him, as the Royals were now hitting much better than they had been, and Grifol took over as the team's hitting coach. Just under one year after being named to the big league staff, Grifol was replaced as hitting coach on May 29, 2014 by Dale Sveum, with the Royals struggling mightily at the plate. Reportedly Grifol resigned rather than being fired and was named catching coach for the remainder of the year. In 2020, under new manager Mike Matheny, he was named the team's bench coach.
Following the 2022 season, the Royals parted ways with Matheny, and interviewed Grifol as a potential successor before settling on Matt Quatraro. At the time, Grifol was being seriously considered for at least two other job openings, those of the Miami Marlins and of the Chicago White Sox. On November 1st, various media reported that he had been selected for the job in Chicago, replacing manager Tony LaRussa, who had been forced to resign late in the 2022 because of a health issue, and his interim successor Miguel Cairo. The White Sox were deliberately looking for someone from outside their organization who could bring in a fresh perspective, after selecting all of their managers in house for the previous three decades. The hiring was made official on November 3rd.
His season-and-a-half as Chicago's manager did not go well, as the team was starting to rebuild, basically sold off all of its veteran pitchers during the 2023 season, and then was not competitive at all in 2024. After a fourteen-game losing streak early in the season, and a record-tying 21-game one after the All-Star break, he was fired on August 8th, along with three members of his coaching staff - all of them Hispanics. The White Sox were threatening records for most losses in a season at that point, and he was made to pay the price.
As a scout, he signed Rene Rivera, Evel Bastida-Martinez and Jeffrey Domínguez.
Preceded by Miguel Cairo |
Chicago White Sox Manager 2023-2024 |
Succeeded by Grady Sizemore |
Year-by-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Year | Team | League | Record | Finish | Organization | Playoffs | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Everett AquaSox | Northwest League | 32-44 | 4th | Seattle Mariners | ||
2004 | Everett AquaSox | Northwest League | 41-35 | 2nd | Seattle Mariners | ||
2005 | Everett AquaSox | Northwest League | 42-34 | 3rd | Seattle Mariners | ||
2012 | High Desert Mavericks | California League | 83-57 | 1st | Seattle Mariners | Lost in 2nd round | |
2023 | Chicago White Sox | American League | 61-101 | 4th | Chicago White Sox | ||
2024 | Chicago White Sox | American League | 28-89 | -- | Chicago White Sox | replaced by Grady Sizemore on August 8 |
Further Reading[edit]
- Scott Merkin: "White Sox set to name Grifol as manager ", mlb.com, November 1, 2022. [1]
- Scott Merkin: "For Grifol, team culture all about 'respect, hard work, care, love'", mlb.com, February 7, 2023. [2]
- Scott Merkin: "White Sox dismiss Grifol; search for new manager underway", mlb.com, August 8, 2024. [3]
- Andrew Seligman (Associated Press): "White Sox make it official, say Grifol is their new manager", Yahoo! News, November 3, 2022. [4]
We're Social...for Statheads
Every Sports Reference Social Media Account
Site Last Updated:
Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction?
Subscribe to our Free Email Newsletter
Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE
Your All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database
Do you have a sports website? Or write about sports? We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Find out more.