The Texas Rangers have announced that they hired former All-Star second baseman Bret Boone as hitting coach following the dismissal of offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker.
Texas announced Sunday after a series loss to the Seattle Mariners that Ecker would no longer be part of the team. Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young stated that it was “the appropriate time to provide our hitters with a new voice as we pursue goals of winning the division and reaching the postseason.”
“We are extremely grateful to Donnie for all that he has accomplished here with the Rangers, including his role in the club’s 2023 World Series championship. We wish him the best,” continued the statement.
Texas will now rely on Boone to step in and immediately make an impact on this team.
Boone played 14 years in the MLB and was a three-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner.
Young said the Rangers are looking to create a “team of coaches that have specific skill sets” to help carry this team on deep postseason runs.
“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,” he added, per MLB.com.
This move by the Rangers to replace Ecker is not too surprising following the difficult start to the season, during which the team struggled to find a rhythm on offense.
Texas ranks just 29th in the entire MLB in total runs, pouring in only 113 runs across 35 games for an average of only 3.2 runs per game.
The Rangers rank 25th in the league with an overall batting average of .228 and 28th with an on-base percentage of .285.
The good news for the Rangers is that the team has recalled outfielder Evan Carter from the minor leagues, which should provide a slight boost for the team as it enters a difficult stretch in the schedule.
Young said Carter “really checked the boxes” that the team wanted to see during his time in the minor leagues.
“We think that he’ll add something in our lineup that maybe we’ve missed a little bit of being able to work the count, get on base in a different manner, via walk and show the level of patience he can,” he said, per DMN.