LAS VEGAS — Zach Bove had a unique path to becoming a major-league pitching coach.
He described himself as “mostly a hitter” while at College of Central Florida from 2007-08 and at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla., from 2009-10, where he played first base.
When he began coaching, the concentration was on those offensive skills.
“Started my coaching career at College of Central Florida, where I played for Marty Smith, and was the hitting coach for the first two years (2012-13),” Bove said during a video conference last week. “After the second year, (they) let go of the pitching coach and Marty’s the one that said, ‘Hey, you’re going to take over the pitching.’”
Bove didn’t really want to do it.
“But (Smith) said, ‘You’re going to be really good,’” Bove said. “A lot of trust in me.”
That trust set a foundation for Bove, who was the school’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator from 2014-18. He then spent four years working in various roles in the Minnesota Twins organization, followed by three seasons as the Kansas City Royals assistant pitching coach. Last week the Chicago White Sox named Bove their pitching coach.
It was one of the first official moves of the offseason for the Sox. This week, their attention shifts to the general managers meetings in Las Vegas.
Adding options for Bove to work with is an offseason priority.
“We’re going to take a look at the pitchers that are available both in free agency and we’ll have trade discussions as well,” GM Chris Getz said during a video conference last week. “This time of year, both of those conversations, they do pick up as teams lay out what their needs are and what our needs are and see if there’s overlap.
“I don’t think I’ve had a conversation with a club that isn’t looking for starting pitching just because of the volatility and the amount of innings that need to be covered throughout a season. With our situation, we do have a lot of young starters. There are a lot of innings that need to be covered. Finding individuals that we feel like can not just cover innings but give us some quality innings is something that we’re targeting.”
Adrian Houser, Aaron Civale and Martín Pérez were among the veterans who helped eat innings in 2025. The Sox traded Houser to the Tampa Bay Rays in late July; the Chicago Cubs claimed Civale off waivers in late August; and last week Pérez declined a $10 million mutual option for 2026 and received a $1.5 million buyout.
The only Sox pitchers to make at least 20 starts in 2025 were Shane Smith (29), Davis Martin (25) and Sean Burke (22). Looking ahead to 2026, there are pitchers on track to come back from injuries, such as Drew Thorpe, while prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith hope to take the next steps in their careers.
Getz described the current makeup of the team’s pitching as “still a very much young staff that’s getting acclimated at the big leagues.”
“There have been stretches of success with our current group,” Getz said. “Now it’s about consistency and cleaning up some areas that help you win ballgames.”
That begins, of course, with throwing strikes. The Sox allowed 595 walks in 2025, the second-most in the majors.
“I talk a lot about leverage,” Bove said. “We want to leverage a guy’s superpowers — individual strengths. But obviously count leverage is extremely important. That’s nothing groundbreaking. First-pitch strikes, early ahead, things that every team talks about. I think there’s a unique way of how it’s messaged, how to keep guys accountable to it, how to really individualize it.
“We’re going to understand what this specific individual needs that maybe has a high walk rate, and we’re going to attack that. We’re going to educate him on ways to improve it and we’re going to create an environment where, on a daily, weekly basis, that reinforces that goal that we’re trying to correct.”
Components such as controlling the running game and fielding are other areas the Sox want to address.
Bove hasn’t wasted any time diving in on every aspect.
“I just want to get to know them first,” he said of the pitchers on staff. “Establish the relationship, understand what’s important to them. I’m not coming in here with a specific agenda.
“Obviously I have my beliefs, but it’s going to be matched up with what these guys want. Just understand what they want (and) what they need.”
