Chicago keeps reshaping its coaching tree — this time adding a familiar face from Ryan Fuller’s Baltimore days to guide the next wave of hitters.
The Chicago White Sox purged the majority of their major-league coaching staff following the 2025 season.
Pitching coach Ethan Katz and hitting coach Marcus Thames were the most notable names to go, but they weren’t the only ones. Very few coaches survived the overhaul — only Grady Sizemore, Matt Wise, and Justin Jirschele will remain with the organization in 2026.
That means, beyond finding new pitching and hitting coaches, the White Sox will also be tasked with building out an entirely new group of assistants and developmental staff across the minor leagues.
Player development has become a clear priority for Chris Getz and the new regime. With Brian Bannister and Ryan Fuller leading the charge, the Sox are putting a stronger emphasis on modern technology, biomechanics, and data-driven development.
They’ve already made additions on the pitching side with the hiring of JC Sanner. And now, another name with Fuller ties is joining the fold — Sherman Johnson, who will serve as the club’s new minor-league hitting coordinator.
Sherman Johnson’s Background
Johnson arrives from the Baltimore Orioles organization, where he worked as an assistant hitting coach and upper-level hitting coordinator. Before coaching, he had a playing career of his own and a rapid rise through the coaching ranks.
A former Florida State infielder, Johnson was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 14th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. While he wasn’t a standout hitter in college, he consistently produced respectable offensive numbers during his minor-league career — enough to reach the majors as a 28-year-old rookie in September 2018.
His big-league stint was brief, appearing in just 10 games with the Angels before bouncing between the Reds, Pirates, and Twins organizations. Johnson retired after the 2021 season and joined the Orioles as a coach in 2023, quickly earning promotions.
The Ryan Fuller Connection
Johnson’s time in Baltimore overlapped with that of Ryan Fuller, who served as the Orioles’ co-hitting coach from 2022 to 2024 before being hired as Chicago’s director of hitting.
Early results from Fuller’s influence have been encouraging. His fingerprints were all over the midseason adjustments made by Colson Montgomery at the Arizona complex — tweaks that fueled a monster second half, an MLB debut, and an eye-opening 21 home runs after the All-Star break.
Given that success, it’s easy to see Fuller’s hand in bringing Johnson aboard.
Why It Matters
Don’t expect the hiring of a minor-league hitting coordinator to make headlines. But these are the kinds of moves that quietly reshape an organization’s long-term outlook.
Johnson will oversee hitting development across the White Sox farm system — a system that, for the first time in years, actually features several homegrown bats worth getting excited about.
If Chicago’s player-development overhaul truly takes hold, it’ll be because of hires like this one and the vision of people like Fuller. Teams that stay competitive don’t just spend — they develop. And after years of failed rebuilds, the White Sox finally appear to be investing in the right people to make that happen.