(670 The Score) At his introductory press conference Thursday, new White Sox manager Pedro Grifol shared a heartfelt message thanking his family for inspiring him to this special stage of his career.
Within his first minute addressing the room, Grifol shared his appreciation for his wife, Alejandra, and his three daughters – Laurence, Amanda and Camila – pushing him to chase his managerial dream despite it leading to a more modest lifestyle and meaning Grifol would spend more time away from his family.
“You guys epitomize the word ‘sacrifice,’” Grifol told his family. “A quick story, in 2011, it was about my third year as a farm director (with the Mariners) and I came home from the complex one day and I told my wife, Ali, I said, ‘I’m starting to get that itch to go back on the field. And right away, being so supportive, she jumped right back and said, ‘Well, go ahead and do it.’ And I said, ‘Well, you know, let me sit down and talk to the girls about it.’ So we had dinner that night, and the girls, they were younger, obviously 10 or 11 years younger, and I told them, I said, ‘You know, I’ve been in the office for three years, I don’t think I like it that much. My passion is on the field. I’m getting the itch to go back on the field.’ Right away, they jumped and said, ‘Just go ahead and do it.’
“I said, ‘Not so fast, there’s a couple things we’ve got to talk about. The first thing is finances. Obviously, a farm director makes a helluva lot more money than a minor league manager. This house we’re living in, we’re probably going to have to downsize from this house and go into a condo close to a school in Phoenix. And then the last thing and most importantly, I’m going to have to go to winter ball, continue to go to winter ball and make ends meet. And that will take me another three-and-a-half months away from the house (every year). They snapped right back at me and said, ‘How in the world can you tell us to chase our dreams if you’re not chasing yours?’
“I can’t thank you enough for that. I can’t thank you (enough) for the sacrifices that you guys have made for this day right here. You guys are my rock. You’ve supported me throughout. I wouldn’t be sitting up here without you.”
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In 2012, Grifol managed Class-A High Desert and quickly had success, leading the Mavericks to an 83-57 record and the California League playoffs. He also managed for Cardenales de Lara from 2012-’14 in the Venezuelan Winter League and for Gigantes de Cibao in 2019 in the Dominican Winter League.
After leaving the Mariners organization in 2012, Grifol worked for the Royals for the past 10 years, including as bench coach for the past three.
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