Two of the White Sox leading managerial candidates are reportedly no longer in contention for the job.
According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, Dodger’s first base coach Clayton McCullough and Padres special assistant AJ Ellis are both out of the running. Rogers added that Ellis had removed himself from the search “for family considerations”, while McCullough was eliminated from contention from the team.
The news came days after it was reported that Rangers bench coach Donnie Ecker was no longer involved in the managerial search. The Rangers had previously given the White Sox permission to interview Ecker for the job.
McCullough was once seen as the favorite for the position. He was also a popular candidate for several team's managerial searches last offseason. In September 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine stated that McCullough had emerged as the “leading candidate for the job.” The former minor league catcher comes from a good baseball background. His father served as a scout for over 30 years with three different organizations. McCullough then spent eight years in the Blue Jays organization before getting his first coaching job with the Dodgers as a minor league coordinator in 2015.
Ellis was more of a long shot to get the job. Since stepping away from his 11-year playing career in the MLB, Ellis has gained no managerial or coaching experience. Upon his retirement, Ellis joined the Padres front office, which was the last MLB team he played for in 2018. Padres GM AJ Preller named Ellis a special assistant, with a focus on player development. Player development is something that has been lacking in the White Sox farm system in recent years.
The remaining candidates who the White Sox reportedly still have in consideration include Will Venable, George Lombard, and Phil Nevin.
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