Texas Rangers name Bruce Bochy as new manager
Three-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy is enticed out of retirement to see if he can snap the Texas Rangers six-year losing season streak
Bruce Bochy is no stranger to managing a team through the big games. He guided the Padres to the 1998 World Series, where they lost to the Yankees, before moving up the coast to steer the Giants to World Series victories in 2010, 2012, and 2014. Leaving MLB management behind in 2019, he most recently coached the French national team during their World Baseball Classic qualification bid.
Now he has been enticed back out of his retirement by the Texas Rangers. Agreeing a three-year deal with the club, he will try and break a six-year losing season streak that is currently plaguing the organization.
Texas General Manager Chris Young said of Bochy, “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.”
In his 25-year managerial career, Bochy has a record of 2,003 wins and 2,029 losses for a .497 percentage. In 2013, he became the 21st manager with 1500 wins, and surpassed Dusty Baker for the most wins in the West Coast portion of Giants history four years later.
Bochy has shown that he can have success with more than one club as well, being the only manager in Major League history to notch up at least 900 wins with two different teams.
His experience is exactly what Texas need. Their last three managers, Ron Washington, Jeff Banister and Chris Woodward, while holding an impressive assistant coaching record, were all trying the big chair for the first time.
Bochy released a statement, saying, “I am incredibly excited to be joining the Texas Rangers. Over the last several days, I’ve had extensive conversations with Chris Young and other individuals in the organization, and I had the chance to meet with Ray Davis. Their vision and commitment to putting together a club that can contend and win year in and year out is impressive, and I became convinced I wanted to be a part of that.”
Having several heart scares over the years, Bochy made the decision in 2019 to take a step down from major league management. He managed the France national team during their bid for the World Baseball Classic qualification, where they lost to Great Britain and the Czech Republic.
Of his desire to return to the Show, he continues, “If I was going to return to managing, it had to be the right situation. I strongly believe that to be the case with the Rangers, and I can’t wait to get started.”