One managerial candidate who’s expressed interest in the White Sox job has not yet heard from the team.
Cubs third base coach Willie Harris told 670 The Score in an interview on Monday that he is still waiting to be contacted by the organization regarding their ongoing search.
“I’m surprised too but it’s not my call,” Harris said on the Parkins & Spiegel Show. “I’m not going to sit back and worry why they haven’t reached out. Obviously, they have some plans on what they want to do over there, and if I’m not in those plans, I can accept that. I’m cool with that. You keep it moving and you keep working to get better.”
Harris, 44, played four of his 12 major league seasons with the White Sox (2002-05). Versatility and speed were his biggest strengths, as he appeared all around the diamond during his stay on the South Side. Perhaps his most memorable moment came in Game 4 of the ’05 World Series when he notched a pinch-hit single and later scored on a game-winning RBI single by Jermaine Dye.
Following the decision to move on from Rick Renteria, the White Sox met with Harris in October 2020 as part of their previous managerial search. Tony La Russa was ultimately hired in a controversial move, and Harris landed the gig as the Cubs’ third base coach just a few months later.
When asked if the White Sox might be basing their opinion of Harris off his prior interview, the 2005 World Series champion responded with the following:
“That could be possible, but I’m a completely different guy now as far as my baseball mind in 2022 than I was in 2020,” Harris said. “I’ve learned a ton in two years from (Cubs manager David Ross) and (bench coach Andy Green) and just from being around the game, and the players. I’m a different guy now than I was then.”
Harris originally made his coaching debut within the Sox organization, serving as the hitting coach of the Great Falls Voyagers in 2016 and manager of High-A Winston-Salem in 2017.
Following his time with the team, he moved to the Giants organization as manager of their Double-A affiliate in 2018. The following year, Harris was named the baserunning and outfield coordinator for the Cincinnati Reds and then found his way to the other side of town prior to the 2021 season, as mentioned.
No matter where he’s gone as a coach, Harris has been held in high regard as a future manager. With the White Sox needing a change in “accountability” according to acting manager Miguel Cairo, Harris is considered an individual who could get the best out of players and guide them to play with the spark they need.
Towards the end of the station’s conversation with Harris, the topic of Ozzie Guillen being named a potential candidate was brought up so they had to ask whether or not the former player would join his old manager’s staff.
“Hell yeah,” Harris exclaimed. “I love Ozzie Guillen, man … I still speak to him occasionally, now. I’m an Ozzie Guillen fan. So yes, I would definitely be interested in that.”
To listen to 670 The Score’s full segment with Harris, click here.
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Featured Photo: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
