White Sox name Paul Janish as new director of player development

The baseball offseason is officially underway, as the Chicago White Sox named Paul Janish the new director of player development on Thursday. Janish (pronounced (YAN-ish), who has served as Rice University’s associate head coach for the past two seasons, takes over the role previously held by new GM Chris Getz.

Janish, 41, was drafted in the fifth round in 2004 out of Rice by the Cincinnati Reds. He made his major league debut in 2008 and played parts of nine seasons in the bigs among the Reds, Braves, and Orioles. Janish joined his alma mater’s coaching staff in 2017, where he worked his way up to associate head coach before joining the White Sox front office.

“We are very excited to add Paul to our baseball operations team as director of player development,” White Sox GM Chris Getz says in a statement. “With 13 years in professional baseball, including nine in the major leagues, and another six years at Rice University where he served as associate head coach, Paul brings a wealth of experience to our organization. He has lived every step of the development ladder, from being a national champion player at Rice, to being drafted, reaching the majors and then coaching successfully at a high-level program like Rice. We are pleased to heave him take the next step in his career with the White Sox and welcome him into the organization to lead our development system.”

Janish joins new additions Josh Barfield, Brian Bannister, and Gene Watson in the revamped White Sox front office.

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