Bruce Bochy Out In Texas, Proving Managers Don't Make Much Difference

The Texas Rangers and manager Bruce Bochy parted ways on Tuesday, marking an end to a three-year tenure in Arlington that exemplified the managerial experience.

Bochy joined the Rangers after the 2022 season, after an extremely successful career as the head of the San Diego Padres, and a legendary tenure with the San Francisco Giants. Bochy won four division titles in San Diego, then added two more with the Giants in 2010 and 2012. 

He made the World Series in 1998 with the Padres, one of just two appearances ever for San Diego in the Fall Classic. But with San Francisco, he won three times; 2010, 2012 and 2014. And to his credit, none of those three Giants teams were likely the "best" in baseball in those seasons. 

The Rangers hoped Bochy's veteran leadership and presence would pay dividends with a young, talented roster. It seemed to. In his first year in Texas, the Rangers won the World Series. Several young players seemed to improve, and veterans got the most out of their skills. Two years later, he's out. 

DENVER - Manager Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers walks out to the mound against the Colorado Rockies in the seventh inning at Coors Field on May 12, 2024. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Bruce Bochy Shows How Managers Are Blamed For Failure, Credited For Success

So what happened? 

Well in 2024, in their title defense season, the Rangers finished third in the AL West. They had a losing record, 78-84, and were outscored by 55 runs on the season. In 2025, Texas finished 81-81, once again missing out on the postseason. Even more frustrating for Rangers fans, and for Bochy, Texas had a +79 run differential, leading to a 90-72 expected win-loss record. The Rangers underperformed by a full nine wins, implying some level of bullpen mismanagement in close games. 

Compared to their title-winning 2023 season, the Rangers went from scoring 5.44 runs per game to just 4.22. They fell from 233 home runs to 172. Those young players didn't continue progressing, and veterans regressed.

Did Bochy forget how to manage?

Of course not. As is so often the case, managers are credited when teams win, and blamed when teams lose. Bochy is almost certainly an above-average manager, yet even that wasn't enough to prevent the Rangers from missing the postseason entirely in 2024 and 2025. Despite running payrolls that ranked in the top six or seven in both seasons. 

The lesson to learn here is that managers simply don't matter as much as fans, and even teams, seem to think they do. Yes, good managers can be additive, maybe worth an extra win or two over the course of a season. Bad managers might cost teams a playoff win. The problem is a manager might be "good" one year and "bad" another. Probably isn't worth worrying about too much.