BOSTON -- The Rangers need a spark for the offense. They’re looking to outside sources to fix it.
The Rangers announced on Monday that they are hiring Bret Boone as their new hitting coach. He will join the offensive staff with hitting coach Justin Viele and assistant hitting coach Seth Conner, both of whom will remain with the organization. Boone’s deal will run through the end of the 2025 season, at which point all parties will be re-evaluated.
“I think, really, we’re looking for a team of coaches that have specific skill sets and areas of focus, and collectively, they're serving our players in all facets and manners of what today's modern-day hitting is,” president of baseball operations Chris Young said. “We feel like we've identified somebody who will hopefully fill that bucket and provide a voice that maybe is going to help these guys understand some of the competitive aspects of the game. I think that's something that our group needs right now.”
The Rangers dismissed offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker on Sunday night, marking one of the very few in-season coaching change in Bruce Bochy's decades of managerial experience at the big league level. Ecker was the architect of a Texas offense that carried the club to the first World Series title in franchise history in 2023, but the offense has failed to reach those heights in each subsequent season.
Young said the decision came together over the last few days as the organization decided it needed a change at the top of the offensive staff. Young sees the change in offensive leadership as a shift in approach to help get the most out of hitters up and down the lineup.
“We just have not clicked as a unit in terms of being able to drive in runs and produce runs at the level that we were expecting,” Young said. “The slow start, obviously, has carried into the second month of the season. I think there's some things that we can and will improve. A lot of that may be just our hitters getting their confidence back and regaining that belief in themselves and playing the game with confidence, conviction and belief.”
At the conclusion of Sunday’s 8-1 win over the Mariners, Texas was 25th in the Majors in wRC+ (85), 25th in slugging (.359), 26th in batting average (.228), 28th in on-base percentage (.285), 29th in runs scored (113) and 29th in walk rate (6.7%).
Boone previously served as a roving instructor and scout in the Athletics organization from 2014-15, but he has no big league coaching experience.
“He's well connected to the game, and he spent his whole life in the game, so I'm not overly worried about that,” Young said. “In terms of the coaching experience, there's going to be a learning curve, but I think we have great coaches to support him in some ways that he's going to need. Likewise, I think he will provide some wisdom and some experience that will serve our entire staff, and certainly our players.”
Boone is the older brother of current Yankees manager Aaron Boone and the son of former Major League player and manager Bob Boone. Bret Boone was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner at second base from 1992-2005. He hit above .300 in two seasons (.320 in 1994 and .331 in 2001) and finished his career with a .266 average and 252 home runs.
“Good coaches come from all walks of life,” Young said. “You don't have to have played or come from a baseball family to be a good coach, but I think Bret has a deep passion for the game. Any time you talk to him, that passion exudes from him. He has an understanding of hitting, an understanding of what makes a lineup function. We felt like it's exactly what we need right now, and that's why we felt like he's the perfect hire for us.”
Boone played for Bochy with the Padres in 2000, when he slashed .251/.326/.421 in 127 games.
“It didn’t take long [to make a decision],” Boone said on his podcast. “I don’t know where this journey is taking me. But if there’s a guy to get back on the field for -- for the first time in a long time for me -- Bruce Bochy is No. 1 on my list. He’s No. 1-1.”