Rangers turn to 3-time champ Bochy as manager

The Texas Rangers person hired Bruce Bochy arsenic their manager, bringing the three-time World Series champion with 2,003 vocation victories retired of a abbreviated status to instrumentality implicit a squad that has had six consecutive losing seasons.

Texas made the astonishing announcement Friday, conscionable much than 2 weeks aft its play ended. Bochy agreed to a three-year contract.

The 67-year-old Bochy hasn't managed since 2019, erstwhile helium stepped distant aft 13 seasons and those World Series titles with the San Francisco Giants. The archetypal title came successful 5 games implicit Texas successful 2010, and the Giants won again successful 2012 and 2014.

Rangers wide manager Chris Young was a pitcher for San Diego successful 2006, which was Bochy's last play with the Padres earlier going to San Francisco.

"As we went done the interrogation process, Bruce's passionateness and excitement astir returning to the dugout was precise evident," Young said. "It became wide helium was the perfect idiosyncratic to pb our nine arsenic we proceed to physique a title civilization present successful Arlington."

Bochy was 951-975 successful 12 seasons with the Padres (1995-2006) and took them to their past World Series successful 1998. The erstwhile large league catcher had a 1,052-1,054 grounds successful San Francisco from 2007 to 2019.

The Rangers said they would clasp an introductory quality league Monday. Bochy said successful a connection helium was excited to beryllium joining the squad aft respective days of extended conversations with Young and a gathering with proprietor Ray Davis.

"Their imaginativeness and committedness to putting unneurotic a nine that tin contend and triumph twelvemonth successful and twelvemonth retired is impressive, and I became convinced I wanted to beryllium a portion of that," Bochy said. "If I was going to instrumentality to managing, it had to beryllium the close situation. I powerfully judge that to beryllium the lawsuit with the Rangers, and I can't hold to get started."

The Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and Miami Marlins person the 3 remaining manager openings among the 30 teams.

Fourth-year Rangers manager Chris Woodward was fired Aug. 15, 2 days earlier president of shot operations Jon Daniels was besides fto go. Texas went connected to decorativeness 68-94, 8 wins much than 2021 but what Young said aft the play "was astir fractional of our interior expectations." They mislaid 35 one-run games, a franchise record.

Texas was 17-31 nether interim manager Tony Beasley, the longtime Rangers third-base manager who was erstwhile Young's manager successful the insignificant leagues. Several young players got extended looks during that span, and the wide manager said successful August that Beasley wouldn't beryllium judged solely connected win-loss record. Beasley was interviewed for the occupation 2 days aft the play ended.

Speaking aft the season, Young had declined to remark erstwhile asked specifically if the managerial hunt could proceed without knowing whether Bochy had involvement successful the job. But helium acknowledged past however overmuch helium loved playing for Bochy and expressed his respect for the antheral helium considers 1 of the astir palmy and respected managers successful the large leagues.

"With a calm and dependable presence, helium has a singular quality to link and pass with players, coaches and staff, and his teams person ever played with maximum effort," Young said Friday. "His cognition of the game, arsenic good arsenic his integrity, is unmatched."

Texas past offseason committed a half-billion dollars to free-agent shortstop Corey Seager ($325 million, 10 years) and 2nd baseman Marcus Semien ($175 million, 7 years) and signed right-hander Jon Gray ($56 million, 4 years) to beryllium their No. 1 starter. Left-hander Martin Perez was an All-Star aft returning connected a one-year woody earlier outpouring training.

While determination were ne'er immoderate expectations that the Rangers would spell from 102 losses successful 2021 instantly to a rubric contender aft that large spending spree, they ne'er had a winning grounds astatine immoderate constituent this play and peaked astatine 24-24 astatine the extremity of May. The six consecutive losing seasons are the astir successful the half-century since the franchise moved to Texas successful 1972.

Davis has indicated the squad is acceptable to adhd to its starting rotation and perchance motion a middle-of-the-lineup bat.

"I don't program connected spending arsenic overmuch wealth arsenic we did past offseason," Davis has said. "But we program connected spending immoderate money."