Rich Renteria
Richard Avina Renteria
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 9", Weight 172 lb.
- High School South Gate High School
- Debut September 14, 1986
- Final Game August 11, 1994
- Born December 25, 1961 in Harbor City, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Infielder Rich Renteria was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round of the 1980 amateur draft. Rich was an all-star player in the minors, leading the Carolina League in batting (.331, .11 ahead of runner-up Juan Samuel), hits (168) and RBI (100) with the Alexandria Dukes in 1982. He was the Carolina League All-Star DH that season. After cups of coffee in the majors with the Pirates and Seattle Mariners, he played third base for the Charros de Jalisco of the Mexican League in 1991 and 1992. In his first year with the club, he hit .442 to win the league's batting title and set a record by hitting home runs in seven straight games. He returned to the majors in 1993 with the expansion Florida Marlins and got the first pinch hit in Marlins history on April 14th of that year.
After his playing career ended, he coached and managed in the Marlins and San Diego Padres farm systems. On November 7, 2013, he was hired to manage the Chicago Cubs in 2014. He became a part of history in his first game at the helm on March 31st, when he was the first manager to challenge an umpire's decision under the expanded video review rule. He argued that baserunner Jeff Samardzija was safe at first base in spite of umpire Bob Davidson's ruling, but video evidence proved him wrong. He set another first when he was the first manager to be ejected from a game in 2014, getting the heave-ho from home plate umpire Jeff Nelson on April 8th for arguing balls and strikes. In his one season at the helm, the Cubs finished in last place, as everyone expected, as he eased a number of promising youngsters into the starting line-up. However, the Cubs' plans changed abruptly that October when long-time Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon announced he was resigning and was ready to entertain offers from other teams. The Cubs decided to take advantage of the unexpected opportunity to hire one of the most respected managers in the majors and fired Renteria on October 31st. Maddon immediately led the Cubs to the postseason in 2015.
Renteria returned to the field as bench coach of the Chicago White Sox in 2016. When manager Robin Ventura announced his resignation on the final day of the season, Renteria was named as his successor less than 24 hours later and took over the team in 2017. That season, he was given a 2016 World Series ring by the Cubs, in recognition to his contribution to building the club that had put an end to the team's historic championship drought. In August, 2018, he had to miss a couple of games when he was hospitalized for light-headedness; bench coach Joe McEwing took over for him in the interim. In September 2019, he had to undergo a surgery mostly associated with pitchers, on his rotator cuff; McEwing again took over in the interim. In 2020, he took the White Sox to the postseason for the first time since the days of Ozzie Guillen, but he was fired on October 12th, a few days after losing the Wild Card Series in three games to the Oakland Athletics. Differences with the front office about player usage were apparently behind the firing after a successful season.
His son, Anthony Renteria, was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 32th round of the 2007 amateur draft and the 39th round of the 2012 amateur draft.
- 2003 Hitting coach Lake Elsinore Storm
- 2004-2006 Manager Lake Elsinore Storm
- 2007 Manager Portland Beavers
- 2008 1st base coach San Diego Padres
- 2014 Manager Chicago Cubs
- 2016 Bench Coach Chicago White Sox
Notable Achievements[edit]
- Postseason Appearance: 1 (2020 - Wild Card)
| Preceded by Dale Sveum |
Chicago Cubs Manager 2014 |
Succeeded by Joe Maddon |
| Preceded by Robin Ventura |
Chicago White Sox Manager 2017-2020 |
Succeeded by Tony LaRussa |
Year-By-Year Managerial Record[edit]
Further Reading[edit]
- Chris Bumbaca: "Rick Renteria, Chicago White Sox 'part ways' in surprising move after four seasons", USA Today, October 12, 2020. [1]
- Scott Merkin: "Renteria right choice to be White Sox leader: Players reflected attitude, approach set by skipper in 2017", mlb.com, December 6, 2017. [2]
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