White Sox face new offseason challenge after Cardinals poach promising coach from Chicago

The St. Louis Cardinals have hired Chicago White Sox assistant hitting coach Joel McKeithan to be their new primary hitting coach. McKeithan spent two seasons on the White Sox coaching staff under manager Will Venable. His departure creates an offseason vacancy on Chicago's coaching staff under primary hitting coach Derek Shomon, despite general manager Chris Getz initially planning to keep the entire staff intact.

According to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, the White Sox are likely to look outside the organization to find McKeithan's replacement. Prior to his two-year stint in Chicago, the 35-year-old previously served as a hitting coach for the Cincinnati Reds, a coordinator for the Detroit Tigers, and an instructor at Driveline Baseball.