Pedro Orlando Grifol (born November 28, 1969) is an American former professional baseball catcher and coach. He is the former manager for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He also served in various coaching roles for the Kansas City Royals in both their minor league system and at the MLB level.
| Pedro Grifol | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Grifol with the Chicago White Sox in 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| Catcher / Coach / Manager | |||||||||||||||
| Born: November 28, 1969 Miami, Florida, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2024 Season) | |||||||||||||||
| Managerial record | 89–190 | ||||||||||||||
| Winning % | .319 | ||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
| As manager
As coach | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Playing career
editGrifol attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida, where he was the Florida high school baseball player of the year in 1988. He attended Florida State University, where he played college baseball for the Florida State Seminoles baseball team. With the Seminoles, Grifol participated in the 1989 and 1991 College World Series. He was named an All-American in 1991.[1] In 1990 and 1991, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League and was named a league all-star in 1990.[2][3]
The Minnesota Twins selected Grifol in the sixth round of the 1991 Major League Baseball draft.[4] He played in the minor leagues for the Twins and New York Mets organizations from 1991 to 1999. He worked for the Seattle Mariners as their director of minor league operations.[5]
Coaching career
editKansas City Royals
editGrifol joined the Kansas City Royals organization in 2013 as a minor league coach. He was promoted to the major league staff in May 2013 as an assistant hitting coach.[6] He was moved to be a catching instructor in 2014. In 2015, the Royals won the World Series, their first World Series in 30 years. For the 2020 season, Grifol was named as the Royals bench coach.[7]
Chicago White Sox
editOn November 1, 2022, Grifol was hired by the Chicago White Sox to be their 42nd manager.[8] Keynan Middleton criticized the White Sox for having "no rules" after he was traded during the 2023 season.[9] Following a 21-game losing streak, the White Sox fired Grifol on August 8, 2024, after posting a record of 89–190 over two seasons.[10][11] The 2024 Chicago White Sox that Grifol managed went on to set the record for the most losses in a season by a modern major league team with a record of 41–121.
Managerial record
edit- As of games played on August 7, 2024
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CWS | 2023 | 162 | 61 | 101 | .377 | 4th in AL Central | – | – | – | |
| CWS | 2024 | 117 | 28 | 89 | .239 | Fired | – | – | – | |
| Total | 279 | 89 | 190 | .319 | – | |||||
Personal life
editGrifol was born in Miami, Florida, the son of two Cuban immigrants.[12] He and his wife, Ali, have three daughters: Lauren, Amanda, and Camila.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ Release Kansas City Royals (Posted by Amanda Lanum). "George Brett, Pedro Grifol Assume Coaching Roles With Royals". wibw.com. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ^ "Cape League Baseball". The Cape Codder. Orleans, MA. July 20, 1990. p. 34.
- ^ "Brewster Whitecaps". The Cape Codder. Orleans, MA. June 18, 1991. p. 17.
- ^ "6th Round of the 1991 MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ "Pedro Grifol talks about the Mariner minor-leaguers".
- ^ "Royals make coaching changes". MLB.com. May 30, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ "Royals announce 2020 coaching staff". Hutch Post. December 6, 2019.
- ^ Merkin, Scott (November 3, 2022). "White Sox name Pedro Grifol as manager". MLB.com. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Rogers, Jesse (August 7, 2023). "'No rules': Ex-White Sox pitcher rips club's culture". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ Merkin, Scott (August 8, 2024). "White Sox dismiss Grifol; search underway for new manager". MLB.com. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ Pope, Lamond (August 8, 2024). "Chicago White Sox fire manager Pedro Grifol, who had an 89-190 record: 'We expect better, we need better'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ Diaz, Yusseff (July 11, 2024). "Pedro Grifol: "I have a lot of faith in God and he put me here for a reason."". The Cuban Baseball Digest. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ Kegel, Dick (July 26, 2013). "'Good learner' Grifol takes over as hitting coach". MLB.com. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Merkin, Scott (June 16, 2023). "Pedro Grifol discusses father's influence". MLB.com. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)