(670 The Score) Royals legend George Brett gave a glowing review about Kansas City bench coach Pedro Grifol to White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf before Chicago tabbed Grifol as its new manager.
Brett and Reinsdorf are friends, and Brett has also known and respected Grifol for a long time and watched his work up close in the Kansas City area.
“He’s a brilliant man and a good evaluator of talent,” Brett said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Tuesday. “Very, very organized. Bilingual, which I think is important in today’s game of baseball.
“He’s very likable. I think he’s going to do a good job. I was kind of saddened that the Royals didn’t sign him (as manager). He'll do a tremendous job."
Grifol, 52, signed a three-year contract with the White Sox, Brett said. The White Sox are expected to officially announce his hiring later this week.
Grifol was the Royals’ bench coach for the past three seasons after previously working as a hitting coach and catching coach. Prior to his time with the Royals, Grifol also worked in the Mariners organization for more than a decade.
Brett and Grifol worked alongside each other for a short time in 2013, when Brett was a hitting coach for the Royals for about two months.
Grifol will take over a White Sox team that's coming off a disappointing 81-81 season in which it missed the playoffs after opening the campaign with championship aspirations.
"He's just a kind of guy that people are going to want to do the little bit extra to get better because of him," Brett said.
Listen live to 670 The Score via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker