The Rangers announced a few coaching staff hirings this afternoon. Most notably, they’ve named Travis Jankowski their first base coach. That suggests the 34-year-old is retiring after a playing career that spanned parts of 11 big league campaigns.
Jankowski carved out a solid career as a speed and defense depth outfielder. He played in more than 700 MLB contests and tallied nearly 1800 trips to the plate. The lefty batter hit .236/.318/.305 with 366 knocks and 104 stolen bases. Jankowski had very little power and only connected on 11 home runs, but he collected 54 doubles and 10 triples. He drove in 98 runs and scored 220 times.
A former supplemental first-round pick of the Padres, Jankowski spent the first five seasons of his career in San Diego. He’d go on to play for eight teams overall, including the 2023-24 campaigns in Arlington. Jankowski’s best season came in 2023. He had a personal-best .263 average while reaching base at a strong .357 clip for the World Series team. Jankowski picked up another three hits and a pair of RBI in nine postseason at-bats. His numbers tailed off the following season, and he apparently concluded his playing career with 25 games split between the White Sox, Rays and Mets this year.
Jankowski is a known commodity to the Texas front office. While his time as a player in Texas came under Bruce Bochy, he also has ties to new manager Skip Schumaker. The Rangers skipper was the first base coach in San Diego for Jankowski’s final two seasons as a Padre in 2018-19. Jankowski now takes on that role in Arlington, where he’ll presumably also be involved in outfield and basestealing instruction.
Texas also confirmed the previously reported hiring of Alex Cintrón as assistant hitting coach. They’ve added Rod Barajas as a quality control coach, a move that was first announced last week by Rocket City Trash Pandas broadcaster Chris Harris. Barajas coached for that affiliate, the Angels’ Double-A team, in 2025. He has previously spent time on the Padres and Marlins big league staffs with Schumaker.
The Rangers also hired Colby Suggs as bullpen coach. (Dan Hayes of The Athletic had reported last week that the 34-year-old Suggs was likely to take a job in Texas.) He’d held the same role with the Twins since the middle of the 2022 season.
Suggs takes over the bullpen coach role from Jordan Tiegs, who gets a promotion to pitching coach. The 38-year-old was a longtime minor league pitching instructor in the Texas system before getting his first MLB coaching opportunity this past season. The Rangers lost veteran pitching coach Mike Maddux to the Angels, and they’re staying internal with the much younger Tiegs to fill that position.
There are a more few role changes among the holdovers from Bochy’s final coaching staff. Justin Viele is now the lead hitting coach after splitting that job with Bret Boone this year. Texas had already announced that Corey Ragsdale would move from first base to third base coach. Brett Hayes moves from quality control coach to catching coach. Bench coach Luis Urueta and assistant pitching coach Dave Bush are back in the same roles. Texas will make one additional hire in a yet to be determined role to round out the staff.
Anyone know how much base coaches get paid?
Ehhh, I strongly suspect Jank signed on for about $125k, give or take $15ish
Ill take the $15
Shoot, got change for a ten spot?
15 an hour or 15 a year
It all depends on seniority and what else they do in the organization. I know for instance that the jays first base coach Mark Budzinski is also the jays outfield coach
Attakid Jank! Have fun 🤙🏽
He brings a mean hair game to the team.
Would love to know how the guy on here who insisted, several years ago, that Jankowski had Hall of Fame talent (if only the Mets would give him a shot) is taking this news.
I’m seeing a trend with young ex Major leaguers getting prominent coaching positions without ever having coached before. Looks like owners are trying to save money before the strike.
So you’re saying there’s something Janky going on here?
Dont have a Kow. Easy to get over one’s Skis.
Use to watch him in El Paso when he played for the Chihuahua’s. He pulled back many almost Home Runs there too.
You queiro Taco Bell
The El Paso Chihuahuas have the best logo in all of sports.
Do they roam the field? That’s a fearsome adversary
I’ve been a huge fan of Jank for a long time, glad he got his ring with Texas and is getting a chance to coach now.
Livin’ the Dream: The Coaching Years
Look for the series on the -WAR Network
Great for “Freddy”as his friends used to call him. Saw him a lot with the Pads early. Lunch pail type.
Rangers will be better off to name Joc Pederson as the first base coach and play Jankowski at 1B?
Jank is likely in better playing shape
Janko was a pretty solid backup for the Phillies in ’21. Good to see that he can continue his career in baseball.
Oh no , Cherington will have to cross his name off of his list of possible OF signings.
My alma mater’s 2nd best major leaguer! Congrats on a successful career, Janko!
Jank! Welcome back, man!