Farquhar 'happy to be back' as Sox instructor

CHICAGO -- Danny Farquhar is returning to the White Sox, but not as a player.

General manager Rick Hahn announced Wednesday that the 32-year-old former reliever, who pitched parts of two seasons with the White Sox, will become a Minor League pitching instructor.

Farquhar suffered a brain hemorrhage during the sixth inning of a game against the Astros on April 20, 2018. He collapsed in the White Sox dugout after facing four batters, and it was revealed that a ruptured aneurysm caused the brain bleed. An amazing recovery led Farquhar back to the Minors within the Yankees' system this season before he retired after being released.

In a Thursday afternoon conference call, Farquhar first talked about feeling great and being healthy and happy at home with his family. He also stressed a sense of peace about transitioning from playing to coaching.

“I'm completely at peace. That's a question I get a lot from family and friends,” Farquhar said. “The injury affected me more than I was willing to accept. It's one of those where I never want to be like, 'Oh, you can't do this.' I want to push through.

“Honestly, it all came to me when I got to Triple-A and I was watching the guys throw, and they were really, really good, throwing really hard. That's when I realized how far behind I was. I put a year-plus into work, busted my butt hard to get to that point, and I was really far behind.

“And when the Yankees released me, at that point we drove across the country from Scranton, [Pa.], to California, you have a lot of time to reflect and you realize it's time to move on and move on to the next stage in my career. I've been talking about it's something I've wanted to do for some time now. It wasn't an overnight decision.”

The first call made by Farquhar was to Hahn. Now Farquhar will join Double-A Birmingham on Tuesday and spend his first day as Coach Farquhar with the Barons on Wednesday. Farquhar also talked with assistant general manager Jeremy Haber, director of player development Chris Getz and assistant pitching coordinator Everett Teaford.

Farquhar will be learning from Birmingham manager Omar Vizquel and pitching coach Richard Dotson.

“Obviously, everyone knows the backstory on Danny,” Hahn said. “The aneurysm likely cut short his playing career, but he's eager to continue on as a coach.

“It's something we have discussed with Danny going back well prior to the aneurysm. We think he has a great deal of upside and a great future in coaching and player development. We're excited he decided to join us here in the coming weeks.”

When asked to put these last 15 months into perspective, Farquhar talked about the down of waking up in the ICU, realizing he had a life-changing event and being unsure as to how he will be going forward, let alone if he could pitch again. There were the highs of throwing out a first pitch at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 1 of last year and getting back on the baseball field playing again.

Then there was the low of getting released by the Yankees. That low turned into a high, moving Farquhar into the next stage of his professional life.

“I definitely do have a greater appreciation for just how short our life is and how quickly things can come to an end,” Farquhar. “I have nothing but good things to say about [the White Sox].

“That’s one of the reasons why I reached out to them for a coaching opportunity. I loved my time there. I loved how they treated me through my injury. I loved even in the offseason when they chose not to renew my contract -- it’s a business, I completely understand it. And I love them for it and I’m happy to be back.”