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Sox hired Grifol to fix fundamentals; 2024 freefall has the plan under fire
Pedro Grifol took over on a multi‑year deal in November 2022, outlining a back‑to‑basics program built on fundamentals, defense, availability and a more disciplined, on‑base approach at the plate [2][1].A longtime coach and developer who rose through the Mariners and Royals systems, Grifol is among the recent MLB managers who never played in the majors and has been profiled for his family‑first path and place among Latino skippers [3].The 2024 grind has been brutal. The Sox endured a franchise‑record 17‑game losing streak, including a 13‑game slide after the All‑Star break, and Grifol’s record through parts of two seasons sat at 88–185 as he publicly defended his approach and emphasized sticking to the plan [4].The core tenets remain the same: cleaner defense, smarter at‑bats and better availability through managed workloads — the metrics by which this regime will be measured on the South Side [2][4].