LEAGUE SPOTLIGHT: BOBBY JENKS
WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE, VIDEO BY: JULIA LESNICKI
Baseball is different on Chicago's South Side.
Despite not seeing him play Major League Baseball since 2011, White Sox fans all remember the name Bobby Jenks. After all, he was the intimidating 6'4 right-hander who came out of the bullpen to close out the 2005 World Series and left Chicago as a legend.
But the next chapter for the former two-time MLB all-star is just beginning to unfold. Jenks was hired as the manager for the Windy City ThunderBolts this past October and is settling into his first season with the Frontier League's South Side team. While Chicago baseball fans were overjoyed to welcome Jenks back, the new ThunderBolts manager knew coming back to Chicago was always in the cards.
"I knew I wanted to come here eventually," said Jenks. "Having the opportunity to [manage the ThunderBolts] this year, I feel very lucky."
Jenks previously managed the Grand Junction Rockies of the Pioneer League in 2022, where he went 62-33 and won the league championship. He was also named Manager of the Year that season.
When asked about how he has evolved his managerial style throughout each level of his coaching career, Jenks talked about how his natural transitions have helped him be an effective leader while also remembering to enjoy the game of baseball.
"It's a great transition from college to the Pioneer League, to the Frontier [League]. It's kind of the way it's leveled through the minor leagues. Keeping structure while developing and having fun at the same time…is the biggest thing I try to implement into my [management style]."
While this season did not open with the same type of domination that Jenks experienced in the Pioneer League, the former White Sox closer has welcomed the challenges that come with overseeing a team in the Frontier League.
"We've been battling the injury bug," Jenks remarked on his team's 8-8 start. "We're starting to get on the other side of it, which is exciting. We're going to be able to see what we are as a whole and really start evaluating what we are [going to be] on the season".
Aside from some of the early complications that come from injuries, the Bobby Jenks-Windy City era has already shown glimpses of excitement, beginning on Opening Night. After a lengthy rain delay at Ozinga Field, fans of the ThunderBolts were treated to a walk-off win against the Evansville Otters.
Without a doubt, there is hope once again on the South Side. For Jenks, however, there is a personal connection with the city that he represented for the majority of his playing days.
Jenks told representatives of the league, "Oh yeah, this is my home. Whether I'm living in California or on the East Coast, Chicago is always in my heart and always will be."
