The Texas Rangers have hired a new skipper.
They become the first organization to find a new manager this offseason, as they have signed Bruce Bochy to a three-year contract through the 2025 season. This will be his third managerial job after previously serving as the manager of the San Diego Padres from 1995 to 2006 and San Francisco Giants from 2007 to 2019.
Bochy, who will likely find himself in the Hall of Fame someday, has been to the World Series four times as a manager. His first trip to the World Series came in 1998 with the Padres. He then won three championships with the Giants in 2010, 2012, and 2014. In his 25 years of experience, Bochy has a record of 2,003-2,029 as a manager and won National League Manager of the Year in 1996 with San Diego.
State of the Rangers
Bochy’s hiring comes after the Rangers fired Chris Woodward back on August 15th in the midst of another disappointing season. Woodward was hired before the start of the 2019 season with no previous managerial experience, and Texas went 211-287 under his tenure.
The Rangers spent more than half-billion dollars prior to the start of the 2022 season in free agency, signing Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Jon Gray to multi-year large money contracts hoping it would speed up their rebuild and help them compete in 2022. It did not.
The Rangers finished the season with a 68-94 record. They averaged 4.36 runs per game (the league average was 4.28) and had a team ERA of 4.22 (the league average was 3.96).
Bochy’s Impact
Bruce Bochy is going to bring a lot of experience to the Rangers organization. He has managed some great baseball players and knows what it takes to win a world championship.
The Rangers have some very talented pieces currently on their roster. He will have to figure out how to get more out of those players if they want any chance of turning things around next year. The front office will also have to help by building a stronger roster this off-season if they want to make the postseason in 2023.
The job won’t be easy for Bochy. Being in the American League West means competing with the Houston Astros and the Seattle Mariners. The Astros are currently in the World Series once again, and the Mariners just ended a 21-year playoff drought.
With a more balanced schedule and new rule changes coming to Major League Baseball in 2023, Bruce Bochy will be managing in a new era of baseball. He has had great success as a manager before and the Rangers are hoping he can bring that success to Texas.
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Featured Photo: Twitter / @Rangers
