rewrite this title Rangers hire three-time All-Star as hitting coach

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 Monday that they’re planning to recall outfielder Evan Carter from Triple-A Round Rock prior to Tuesday’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 Tuesday 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.