New Texas Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy Couldn’t Say No To Former Pitcher

Bruce Bochy found out that retirement wasn’t all it is cracked up to be.

The three-time World Series-winning manager decided to step down as the San Francisco Giants’ skipper following the 2019 season. However, during his three years away from the dugout, Bochy began to get the baseball itch again.

Bochy served as a special adviser to the Giants’ front office. However, it wasn’t the same as having a direct day-to-day impact on the game.

So, when Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young called at the end of last season, Bochy picked up the phone. Young had been one of Bochy’s pitchers in 2006, the last season Bochy managed the San Diego Padres.

The Rangers haven’t been to the playoffs or even had a winning record since 2016. Yet the more Bochy listened to the vision Young and owner Ray Davies laid out of returning the franchise back to respectability, the more intrigued he became.

“When (Young) called and he wanted to get my appetite on doing this, sure, it piqued my interest,” Bochy said last week during baseball’s Winter Meetings. “And then he came out, and we talked for seven hours. By the time he left, I knew this is what I wanted to do and what I probably should be doing.

“There’s a right time and place for certain things, and this certainly felt that way for me coming to Texas. I said, for me to do this, I had to feel like it was the right fit. And I certainly felt that. So anyway, that’s why I’m here.”

The Rangers finished with a disappointing 68-94 last season despite spending a half-billion dollars on middle infielders in free agency the previous winter. They lured shortstop Corey Seager to Arlington with a 10-year, $325-million contract then signed second baseman Marcus Semien to a seven-year, $175-million deal.

Though the Rangers struggled, and manager Chris Woodward was fired with 48 games remaining in the season, Young and Davis have not been deterred this winter. Texas has again dived headfirst into free agency.

“When you talk to (Young), he’s committed,” Bochy said. “He’s got a real passion for trying to build a winning culture in Texas. He’s from the Dallas area. It means a lot to him. It means a lot to improve the ballclub for the fans and get back to playing great baseball and hopefully getting back to postseason and eventually hopefully winning a championship.

“And he doesn’t hold back on it. And you feel the passion. You can sense it, his drive to get this done. And it inspires you. I’ll be honest. And it certainly did me.”

Young backed up his words by signing two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom for five years and $185 million earlier this month. DeGrom was one of the biggest prizes on the market.

DeGrom is expected to head up a rotation that will include another newcomer in free agent left-hander Andrew Heaney, who signed a two-year, $25-million contract. The Rangers also retained lefty Martin Perez when he accepted a qualifying offer of $19.65 million.

That all came after Texas signed right-hander Jon Gray to a four-year, $56-million contract as a free agent last winter.

The Rangers’ 4.22 ERA in 2022 ranked 22^nd among the 30 major league teams, a big reason why they finished 26 games under .500.

“We had to improve the starting pitching. I mean, that’s where it starts,” Bochy said. “You have to throw, you gotta catch it, and that’s probably never going to change, and certainly won’t with me. So that’s where we had to really get better and get some experience out there, some winning attitude.”

Now the Rangers need to get some return on their substantial investments in players. Bochy knows something about winning with 2,003 career victories on his resume.

“Sometimes when you have some difficult years, the last part of that process is believing you can win,” Bochy said. “And that’s what has to happen now. And that’s going to be part of my job and the coaching staff’s job.”