FIU will be hiring former Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol as the next head baseball coach. He will become the sixth head coach in program history.
Grifol, 56, born in Miami, Florida, attended Christopher Columbus High School and later Florida State University. After an illustrious playing career with the Seminoles, he was elected to the FSU Hall of Fame in 2023.
“I am deeply honored to be named the head baseball coach at FIU,” said Grifol in the press release. “First and foremost, I want to thank the good Lord for His guidance and blessings, and my family for their unwavering love and support. I also want to thank Athletic Director Scott Carr and President Jeanette Nuñez for entrusting me with this opportunity.
“Miami is one of the most talent-rich baseball communities in the country, and FIU possesses all the essential ingredients to build a championship-caliber program. We will recruit and develop student-athletes who represent this university with integrity and excellence, while re-energizing our proud alumni and the passionate South Florida community around FIU baseball.”
We’re thrilled to welcome former @MLB manager and Miami native Pedro Grifol as Head Coach 👏 https://t.co/rVBRmj9ciW pic.twitter.com/cXbs8bEdxS
— FIU Baseball (@FIUBaseball) May 23, 2026
Despite being drafted in the sixth round of the 1991 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins, Grifol did not reach the big leagues as a player. He started his coaching career in 2013 with the Kansas City Royals as a minor league coach and was later promoted to the big league staff as an assistant hitting coach.
In 2014, he was named the catching instructor, and the Royals then won the 2015 World Series. He was named Mike Matheny’s bench coach ahead of the 2020 season and after two years there, he was named the Chicago White Sox manager ahead of the 2023 season.
During his time with the Royals organization, Grifol was the manager of the Cardenales de Lara, a team in Venezuela that plays winter ball.
In a year and a half on the job, Grifol went 89-190. He lost 101 games in his first year on the job, and after a 28-89 start, he was fired. He has been outside of the baseball world since his time with the White Sox.
The hire of Grifol comes as a total shock to the college baseball world. Grifol goes into this role with no head coaching experience, and as we know, the dynamics of college and pro ball are completely different.
Despite the doubts, Grifol is a South Florida guy who is bilingual, allowing him to create relationships with more players, and per a source, will be focusing on recruiting South Florida.
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