The Rangers announced Monday that they’ve hired former big leaguer Bret Boone as their new hitting coach. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner will take over as the top voice leading Rangers hitters. Offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker was fired just yesterday. Boone’s deal runs through the end of the 2025 season, per Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com. The team will reevaluate at that point.
In other Rangers news, president of baseball operations Chris Young announced to the team’s beat today that they’re planning to recall outfielder Evan Carter from Triple-A Round Rock prior to tomorrow’s series opener against the Red Sox (link via Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News).
“You never know where life’s going to take you,” Boone said in announcing the news on his own podcast (video clip). “And the longer I live on this Earth, I learn that. This completely came out of left field. I went up to USC, my alma mater. I threw out a first pitch. I ran into an old buddy of mine, Michael Young, and he’s with the Texas Rangers. We just started talking, and we had a 10-minute conversation. … I get home, and the phone’s ringing, and it’s [Rangers manager] Bruce Bochy.”
Boone went on to joke that he thought Bochy, his former manager and a longtime friend, was calling to set up another appearance on Boone’s podcast. Bochy ran the possibility of a coaching position by Boone and told him to think about it. Boone explained that he spoke with his wife and loved ones but that it “didn’t take long” to decide he’d accept the position.
“If there’s a guy to get back on the field for — for the first time in a long time for me,” Boone continued, “Bruce Bochy is No. 1 on my list.”
Boone, 56, will be tasked with helping to turn around what has been one of the sport’s most disappointing offenses. The Rangers have limped to a an awful .228/.285/.359 batting line as a team. The resulting 83 wRC+ (indicating they’ve been 17% worse than average at the plate as a unit) ranks 25th in the majors. Texas hitters rank 29th with 113 runs scored, 25th in team batting average, 28th in OBP and 25th in slugging percentage. They also have the second-worst walk rate of any team in the majors.
It’s the second consecutive season the Rangers have struggled as a group. Last year, on the heels of a season that saw what was an MLB-best offense in 2023 struggle against fastballs in 2024, the front office overhauled the lineup. Nathaniel Lowe was traded to the Nationals. Jake Burger was acquired from the Marlins. Texas signed Joc Pederson to a two-year contract. Center fielder Leody Taveras was supposed to be pushed to a bench role, but injuries opened up more consistent playing time for him.
The results clearly haven’t been what the team envisioned. Burger was optioned to Triple-A recently. Taveras is on outright waivers. Pederson has been the worst hitter in baseball (min. 90 plate appearances), slashing just .o94/.181/.153 with the ultra-rare negative wRC+ mark (-4, indicating he’s been 104% worse than an average hitter). Each of Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia and Kyle Higashioka have posted bleak offensive numbers in regular or semi-regular playing time.
Boone isn’t the first new voice the Rangers have installed recently. Ecker was dismissed after three years on the job, but Justin Viele was hired away from the Giants over the winter to bring in a fresh perspective. He and Boone will work with Seth Conner, who’s been an assistant hitting coach since 2022, to help turn the tide for a fourth-place Texas club that’s currently sitting at 17-18 — four games back of the division-leading Mariners.
As Young announced, Boone isn’t the only notable change. Carter will be coming up from Triple-A tomorrow and figures to step right into a prominent outfield role. He was a catalyst during the Rangers’ 2023 World Series run, debuting late in the year with a .306/.413/.645 slash in 23 games down the stretch and keeping the pace with a .300/.417/.500 showing in the postseason that year. Back injuries ruined Carter’s 2024 season, however; he slashed only .188/.272/.361 in 162 major league plate appearances and spent the majority of the season on the injured list.
Carter, still just 22 years old, has had a better showing in Round Rock this year but still doesn’t look to have recaptured that 2023 form. The former second-round pick (2020) is hitting .221/.333/.416 in Triple-A on the season. He’s hit three homers, swiped six bags and drawn a walk in a hearty 14.4% of his plate appearances but also has a 25.6% strikeout rate in 90 turns at the plate. It’s not the most encouraging Triple-A production, but the bar to clear is low, given Taveras’ .241/.259/.342 line in 82 plate appearances.
That’s great, but they still need an offensive coordinator!
We will throw Aaron in for free!
“In for free”..And Dr. Aaron Boone would be “worth” every single cent of “free”.
Well, sadly, you can’t hire Billy Martin again.
Maybe you can talk Lou Pinella off the golf course.
Lou’s busy selling condos to retirees.
Aaron can fire up the Rangers offense with his own Boone-isms!
“It’s right in front of Adolis.”
“Semien is ready to turn the corner.”
Great to see Bret back in the game.
Will he bring his HGH guy with him?
He should! It worked for him!
No, but your mom will.
Can’t spell hittingh without HGH!
Well, he had a wRC+ of 101, so he was 1% above league average for creating runs. Not sure how that relates to actually hitting the ball, though. He should be called the offensive coordinator instead.
Believe it or not, but hitting coaches don’t transfer their stats to players. It’s why nobody has committed a billion dollars to Barry Bonds to have him teach their team to do 73 home runs every year.
See, it is possible to replace your hitting coach. This is an example the Nationals should learn from.
Angels need to do the same thing.
Hitting coach is just the easiest scapegoat. Every individual hitter has their own personal hitting coaches because they all have unique swings and timing mechanisms. Patience is a virtue.
Bret’s father Bob Boone was a long time cat her in MLB (age 24 to 42!) who stressed flexibility leading to less injuries and a longer career. He caught
142 games at age 41 and hit well. If he’d had any power he’d be in the HOF…..
So would 1,000 other guys.
He caught 2,264 games in his career. I’m not sure if that’s the career record for catchers or not but it’s close…..
Bob Boone caught 2,225 games and 18,459 innings as catcher. Both rank #3 all time
baseball-reference.com/leaders/Gm_c_career.shtml
Fisk passed Boone by one game! Impressive! (IIRC, the White Sox essentially let him pass Boone, then not so gently eased him out the door immediately.)
Good ol’ boys.
lol the Rangers are about to get JACKED
Carter had a slow start at AAA but has gotten hot lately. .271/.327/.500 in his last dozen games. He still isn’t hitting lefties and he might always be a platoon guy. But the Rangers will take any kind of offensive production against any kind of pitching right now.
Don’t much care about Bret Boone one way or the other because I don’t think that hitting coaches make much of a difference. Maybe there will be some kind of effect just from a new face in the clubhouse, but I’m not holding my breath.
Hope he doesn’t give them whatever he was taking with the 2001 Mariners
My guess is that the Rangers brass will be watching Boone like a hawk because of his reputation as a juicer. The last thing this team needs is an 80-game suspension for one of their hitters.
As bad as their offense has been, it might be worth the risk
“Each of Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia and Kyle Higashioka have posted bleak offensive numbers in regular or semi-regular playing time.”
Given Higashioka is a catcher, I don’t see how a 93 OPS+ is “bleak” on offense. It’s 11 points higher than his career norm.
Yeah, Higashioka is hardly the problem. The team can’t do much about Semien because of his contract. But they’re definitely sending a message to Garcia with the Taveras and Carter moves. Either Adolis starts hitting or he starts sitting.
Is he going to teach them how to hit on steroids?
Would steroids enhance his teaching performance?
I am surprised with the passing of his son he would accept this job already. Unless he wanting to take his mind off of that tragedy.
Just kidding I thought he was Brett Gardner sry lol need to pay attention.
“Passing of his son..of that tragedy”…As someone who likes to joke and poke fun at baseball in general; “tragedies” and deaths really aren’t that funny and you’ll more likely receive condemnation and criticism instead of laughs.
I commend Mr. Adams for describing Joc Pederson’s miserable wRC+ as “ultra-rare”. Most any other sportswriter would have described it as “incredible”, Anyone who spares me even one exposure to the use of the word “incredible” is a swell guy!
I swear to god if any Rangers start doing that obnoxious bat flip he used to do they should all be getting drilled
As a lifelong Mariners fan i hope he is successful but the rangers lose. Its funny to think he was an average player until he showed up to Mariner spring training looking like Tarzan then destroyed the leagues pitching for a couple years. Wonder what his batting advice will be lol
Look guys, this is where the needle goes
We need a cannon to get this offense going and we got a BB instead.
Maybe there’s a way we can still get that cannon though if he knows a way to really amp up the power fast…