Texas Rangers Announce Bruce Bochy as New Manager
The Texas Rangers announced today that former Padres and Giants manager Bruce Bochy will be taking over the team for the 2023 season:
Bochy takes over in Arlington after a disappointing season led to the firing of former manager Chris Woodward.
READ: RANGERS FIRE MANAGER CHRIS WOODWARD AFTER SPENDING $500 MILLION AND STILL STINKING
The Rangers spent huge sums of money to bring in star shortstop Corey Seager, infielder Marcus Semien and starting pitcher Jon Grey. Despite these additions, they faltered early. The team finished in fourth place with a dreadful 68-94 record, 38 games behind the first place Houston Astros.
The 67-year old Bochy returns to the managerial bench after three seasons of retirement.
His 13-year run with the San Francisco Giants was one of the most successful in franchise history. Despite just a .500 record during his tenure from 2006-2019, the team won three World Series.
New Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy walks out of the dugout before his last game with the San Francisco Giants. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
He also previously managed the San Diego Padres, from 1995-2006. They accumulated 951 wins and helped lead the team to a World Series appearance in 1998 and four division titles.
Texas Rangers and Bochy Make Sense
While Bochy's been out of baseball for a few years, he does have a substantial track record of helping guide teams out of mediocrity.
Few teams in baseball have been more mediocre over the past decade than the Texas Rangers.
The impact of a manager on team success is extremely hard to quantify; it's unlikely that good ones make a substantial difference when it comes to wins, but bad ones can certainly help rack up losses.
But a steadying hand with a lengthy track record can help command respect and perhaps unify a clubhouse a bit more than someone less experienced.
The Rangers undoubtedly need help in those areas. With more potential big name free agents to come, creating a good organizational culture will be paramount.
With how poorly the team played in 2022 it's unlikely Bochy will be able to turn the team around by next season, at least now Rangers fans can expect stability and calm leadership going forward.
Oh, and baseball's biggest head.