The White Sox bolster their pitching lab, bringing in college pitching coach JC Sanner to develop young arms.
The Chicago White Sox made their first coaching hire of the offseason this week — and while it's only a minor addition, it’s just the beginning of the offseason wave that's coming.
After parting ways with several Major League coaches, including pitching coach Ethan Katz, hitting coach Marcus Thames, and first base/outfield coach Jason Bourgeois, the Sox are now tasked with building a new staff under manager Will Venable.
It’s something White Sox fans should be genuinely excited about. For the first time in a long time, a manager appears to have true autonomy to bring in his own guys. And while there’s plenty of work to be done, the organization has a recent track record of making smart hires from outside the system.
Director of Hitting Ryan Fuller has been a major success. Senior Pitching Advisor Brian Bannister is one of the most respected minds in the game. And bench coach Walker McKinven drew rave reviews in his first season with the team after coming over from Milwaukee.
That’s one thing to like about Chris Getz and this current regime — they’re not complacent. They’re willing to think outside the box and look for competitive edges in every corner of player development.
Their latest move fits that exact mold.
The White Sox have hired JC Sanner to their player development staff, where he’ll join what’s become known as the “White Sox pitching lab” — a group dedicated to turning young arms into big-league weapons.
Sanner spent the last two seasons as the pitching coach at the College of Central Florida, one of the premier JUCO programs in the country. Before that, he served as Director of Player Development at Davidson College.
He announced the news himself on social media, writing that he was “very humbled to accept a coaching position with the White Sox.”
College of Central Florida has quietly built a reputation for its developmental program, sending both players and coaches to professional baseball. Among Sanner’s recent success stories are right-hander Joey Wimpelberg, drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 17th round of the 2025 MLB Draft (signing for a $197,500 bonus), and reliever Fulton Lockhart, a 13th-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels in 2024.
Sanner coached both pitchers during his time with the Patriots — and now he’ll bring that same developmental mindset to the South Side.
For a franchise trying to modernize from the ground up, these are the kinds of incremental wins that can make a difference. The White Sox are reshaping their identity around data-driven, player-focused instruction. Sanner’s addition might not make headlines now, but it's a strong sign of the direction the White Sox are going.