By Jordan Long
The Texas Rangers’ managerial search is now over. They are going to turn to Bruce Bochy as their next manager. He brings plenty of MLB managerial experience to the Rangers.
The Texas Rangers finished the season at 68-94 improving from 2021 when they ended the year at 60-102. Texas, though, fired Manager Chris Woodward on August 15, 2022. The Rangers stood at 51-63. Woodward had been the Rangers’ Manager since 2019. It was understandable why the Rangers moved on from him. They never played competitive baseball, with Woodward’s record standing at 211-287, a winning percentage of .424. The Rangers didn’t earn a playoff spot and moved on from Woodward which wasn’t a surprise.
The Rangers’ Interim Manager was 3rd Base Coach Tony Beasley. This was his chance to show the Rangers he could manage this ballclub. It didn’t work out. The Rangers went 17-31 under Beasley. The Rangers knew when they started a search, they wanted a manager who had been one in the game before. Well, they hired Bochy.
According to MLB.com, Texas Rangers’ General Manager Chris Young said, “On behalf of the entire organization, I want to welcome Bruce and Kim Bochy to the Texas Rangers. In his 25 years with San Diego and San Francisco, Bruce was one of the most successful and respected managers in Major League Baseball. With a calm and steady presence, he has a remarkable ability to connect and communicate with players, coaches, and staff, and his teams have always played with maximum effort. His knowledge of the game, as well as his integrity, is unmatched.”
Bochy has plenty of MLB knowledge as a manager. He brings 25 years of experience with the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants. He was with San Diego from 1995 to 2006. The Padres earned a playoff spot 4 times, including winning the National League Pennant in 1998, the only time the Padres went to the World Series with him. Unfortunately, the Padres were swept by the New York Yankees. The Padres let him go following an 88-74 record in 2006.
2007, the San Francisco Giants hired him. Bochy guided the Giants to 4 playoff appearances, in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. The Giants ended up winning the World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014. The Giants fired Bochy when the 2019 season came to a close. The Giants were 77-85, missing the playoffs for the third season in a row. Bochy’s overall managerial record is 2003-2029, a winning percentage of .497 but his teams earned a playoff spot 8 times with 4 trips to the World Series and 3 World Series titles.
This was a very smart hire for the Rangers. Bochy is a manager who can turn a franchise around into a playoff contending team. He did that in San Diego and San Francisco. The Rangers hope Bochy is the answer to help them earn a playoff spot. The Rangers haven’t made the playoffs since 2016 when they were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Rangers are anticipating Bochy can end that drought and lead this team to the playoffs for years to come.
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