While the players on the field get most of the attention, the Texas Rangers coaching staff deserves plenty of credit for the quick turnaround that led the team to the 2023 World Series. Here is a look at the staff that has spearheaded the turnaround.
Bruce Bochy, Manager
Bochy is one of the most accomplished managers in MLB history, with three previous World Series titles in his 26-year career, including one against the Rangers in 2010. Texas lured him out of retirement in the offseason, and the move has paid dividends.
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Will Venable, Associate Manager
Venable is a highly-regarded coach and recently rejected a manager position to stay with Texas. He played one season for the Rangers in 2015 and spent the rest of his nine-year playing career with the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Donnie Ecker, Bench Coach/Offensive Coordinator
Ecker was a Rangers prospect in the 2000s but never reached the major leagues. Since his playing career ended, he has worked his way up as a coach from the high school level and worked with the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants before joining the Rangers in November 2021.
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Tim Hyers, Hitting Coach
Hyers was a minor league player in the 1990s and got his coaching start as a scout after retirement. He was an assistant hitting coach for the Dodgers before earning the hitting coach job with Boston and chose to join the Rangers instead of returning to the Red Sox last season.
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Seth Conner, Assistant Hitting Coach
Conner is another coach who spent time with the Dodgers, coaching at various levels in the club’s minor league farm system. He has also worked for the Minnesota Twins and joined the Rangers in January 2022.
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Mike Maddux, Pitching Coach
Maddux spent 15 years as a big-league pitcher and is the brother of Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. He was the Rangers’ pitching coach during their last World Series appearance. He returned to the team in the offseason after spending time with the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Corey Ragsdale, First Base Coach
Ragsdale joined the Rangers as an infield prospect in 2008. After attempting to transition to pitching, he became a minor league instructor for the club and worked his way through the farm system, becoming the Major League first base coach in 2020 and staying with the club ever since.
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Tony Beasley, Third Base Coach
Beasley played nine minor-league seasons and has held a number of coaching positions throughout the Major and minor leagues. He has previous managerial experience and is credited with helping Pittsburgh’s Neil Walker become an everyday infielder after joining the team as a catcher. Beasley has been with Texas since 2015 and was the interim manager after the club fired Chris Woodward last season.
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Brett Hayes, Bullpen Coach
Hayes is a third-generation former MLB player who played for Florida/Miami, Kansas City, and Cleveland. He spent another few years in various farm systems and joined Texas on a minor-league contract in 2017 before becoming a scout the following year.
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Bobby Wilson, Catching Coach
Wilson spent 12 years as a Major League catcher with six teams, including two stints with the Rangers. He returned to the organization as the manager of Double-A Frisco in 2019 and was promoted to the Major League staff less than a year later.
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Pat Cantwell, Bullpen Catcher
Cantwell spent a few years as a minor-league catcher and has helped the Rangers’ bullpen since 2021.
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Josh Frasier, Bullpen Catcher
The Rockwall High School alum is in his 24th season with the Rangers and 17th full season as a bullpen catcher. He originally joined the club as a video coordinator but has been a bullpen catcher since the middle of the 2005 season.