Will Venable facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Will Venable |
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Venable with the San Diego Padres in 2008
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| Chicago White Sox – No. 1 | |||
| Outfielder / Manager | |||
| Born: October 29, 1982 Greenbrae, California, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| August 29, 2008, for the San Diego Padres | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 6, 2016, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| MLB statistics (through June 15, 2025) |
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| Batting average | .249 | ||
| Home runs | 81 | ||
| Runs batted in | 307 | ||
| Managerial record | 23–49 | ||
| Winning % | .319 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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William Dion Venable (born October 29, 1982) is an American professional baseball manager. He used to be an outfielder and coach. He is currently the manager for the Chicago White Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB).
Venable played for the San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was also a coach for the Chicago Cubs. His father, Max Venable, was also an MLB outfielder. His older brother, Winston Venable, played in the National Football League.
Will Venable played college basketball for Princeton University. He was one of only two athletes to be named first-team All-Ivy League in both baseball and basketball. The Padres picked Venable in the seventh round of the 2005 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut in 2008. He started as a center fielder but later played mostly as a right fielder. He was often among the top players in the National League for triples and stolen bases. He holds the record for most MLB career hits and home runs by a Princeton graduate.
Early Life and College Sports
Will Venable was born in 1982 in Greenbrae, California. His father, Max Venable, was playing for the San Francisco Giants at the time. Will grew up traveling with his father and lived in Japan and the Dominican Republic.
High School Sports
In high school, Will Venable thought he would become a professional basketball player. His mother encouraged him to keep playing baseball. He was a second-team All-Metro basketball player for San Rafael High School. He was also the most valuable player in basketball for his league three times. As a sophomore, he helped his team win the league championship.
Playing at Princeton University
Venable chose to go to Princeton University because of its strong basketball program. He admired their history of playing in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Tournament. He played in two postseason tournaments during his college career. He earned a degree in anthropology in 2005.
Venable was only the second athlete in Ivy League history to be first-team All-Ivy in both basketball and baseball. The other was Chris Young, who also went to Princeton and later played with Venable.
Venable did not play baseball in his first year at Princeton. However, his father had introduced him to Princeton's baseball coach, Scott Bradley. The coach left the door open for Venable to join the team later.
As a sophomore, Venable started playing baseball again. In 2004, he had a .344 batting average. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 15th round. But he decided to return to Princeton for his senior year. In his senior year, he led the league with 9 home runs and had a .385 batting average. After that, the Padres drafted him in the seventh round.
Professional Baseball Career
Minor League Baseball Journey
Venable started his professional career in minor league baseball in 2005. He played for the Arizona League Padres and then the Eugene Emeralds.
In 2006, Venable was named the Padres Minor League Player of the Year. His father was a hitting coach for his team, the Fort Wayne Wizards. Venable had a .314 batting average and was an All-Star. He led the league in runs scored. He also hit two grand slams and had a five-hit game.
Later in 2006, he played for the West Oahu CaneFires in Hawaii Winter Baseball. He won the batting title and was named the league's Most Valuable Player. Before the 2007 season, Baseball America ranked him as one of the top prospects in the Padres organization.
In 2007, Venable played for the San Antonio Missions. He batted .278 and was again named an All-Star. On May 30, he hit for the cycle, meaning he hit a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game.
In 2008, Venable played for the Portland Beavers. He had a .292 batting average before being called up to the Major Leagues.
Playing for the San Diego Padres
First Years (2008–2011)
Venable made his MLB debut on August 29, 2008. He hit a triple in his very first at-bat and scored a run. He was the 25th Princeton graduate to play in the Major Leagues. On September 4, he hit his first MLB home run. He played only center field for the Padres in 2008.
In 2009, Venable started the season in Triple-A but was called back up to the Padres in June. He shared the right field position with Kyle Blanks. On July 12, he hit his first home run of the season and had his first four-hit game. He hit 12 home runs and had 38 runs batted in (RBI) in 2009.
In 2010, Venable finished 8th in the National League with 7 triples and 9th with 29 stolen bases. He often stole bases when other players weren't paying attention. On May 19, he almost hit for the cycle, getting a triple and a double. He hit tie-breaking home runs in three different games in June. He set new career highs with 13 home runs and 51 RBI.
In 2011, Venable started slowly and was sent back to Triple-A in May. He was called back up in June after playing well in the minor leagues. On August 10, he had four hits, again missing the cycle by a home run. On August 21, he hit a leadoff home run and then a game-winning hit. On September 28, he hit his first grand slam home run. He finished the season with 9 home runs and 44 RBI.
Later Years (2012–2015)
In 2012, Venable often shared right field with Chris Denorfia. He played in a career-high 148 games. On May 15, he had a single, double, and triple by the fourth inning but again missed the cycle. He finished the year batting .264 with 9 home runs and 45 RBI.
In 2013, Venable played more because other outfielders were injured. He played in a career-high 151 games. He won the National League Player of the Week award for August 12–18. During that week, he had 4 hits in a game, joined the Padres' 100-steal club, hit a game-winning home run, and made a great catch to stop a home run. He was voted the Padres' Most Valuable Player for 2013. He became the 8th Padres player to have at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season. He set new career highs with a .268 batting average, 22 home runs, and 22 stolen bases.
On September 2, 2013, Venable signed a two-year contract extension with the Padres. In 2014, his batting average and RBI numbers were lower. In 2015, the Padres got new outfielders, so Venable became a reserve player. He hit .258 with six home runs for the Padres in 2015.
Time with Other Teams
On August 18, 2015, the Padres traded Venable to the Texas Rangers. He played for the Rangers for a short time, batting .182.
In 2016, Venable signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians, but they released him. He then signed with the Philadelphia Phillies but later left that team.
On June 14, 2016, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Venable. He played in six games for them before being sent to their Triple-A team. He was called back up briefly in July. He played in 46 games for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, where he hit .276. After the 2016 season, he became a free agent.
After Playing Baseball
On September 6, 2017, Venable became a special assistant for the Chicago Cubs. He then served as the Cubs' first base coach in 2018 and 2019. For the 2020 season, he became the Cubs' third base coach.
On November 20, 2020, the Boston Red Sox hired Venable as their bench coach. On May 29, 2021, he managed his first MLB game for the Red Sox, filling in for their regular manager. The Red Sox won that game. On November 16, 2022, Venable was hired by the Texas Rangers as an associate manager.
Chicago White Sox Manager
On October 31, 2024, the Chicago White Sox hired Will Venable to be their new manager. He took over after the previous manager was fired during the 2024 season.
Managerial Record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
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| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CWS | 2025 | 88 | 29 | 59 | .330 | |||||
| Total | 88 | 29 | 59 | .330 | ||||||
See also
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
