Why the Texas Rangers hired Bruce Bochy as manager

The Texas Rangers’ top managerial candidate has always been Bruce Bochy. It was just a matter of convincing him to step back into the dugout.

On Friday, the Texas Rangers announced the hiring of Bochy, and it marks what the organization hopes is the beginning of a “championship culture.”

It also marks a drastic change from their previous organizational philosophy. Their last three hires — Ron Washington, Jeff Banister and Chris Woodward — were all first-time managers. Thirteen of their 19 hires in the last 51 years have been first-time managers. And Bochy marks the first World Series-winning manager in franchise history.

“He’s a baseball savant,” one source with ties to Bochy said. “Best in-game manager of our time. Players all rave about him. He’s great for the game. The DH game will be different for him, but he should be able to adjust.”

Bochy, 67, is 2003-2029 in 25 seasons and one of 10 managers in baseball history with at least three World Series titles. He retired after the 2019 season, but those close to him said he’d be open to returning for the right opportunity. He was immediately connected to a number of openings since, including the San Diego Padres last winter before they ultimately hired Bob Melvin. He was rumored to be a candidate for the Chicago White Sox in 2020 before they hired Tony La Russa and was mentioned as a potential candidate once La Russa stepped down at the end of 2022.

But the Rangers put the full-court press on Bochy. Their front office, led by general manager Chris Young, flew out and visited Bochy on Oct. 13 at his home in Nashville. They had extensive conversations in recent days, going over different scenarios, to ensure that Bochy was 1) ready to jump back into managing and 2) that he was comfortable with the infrastructure in Texas.

The Texas Rangers made Bruce Bochy comfortable with their decision-making processes

Part of those discussions surely centered around how involved the front office is on a daily basis with roster and lineup construction. In an interview with former Angels manager Joe Maddon (h/t the Dallas News), Bochy said: “You go back to when I started and just before me and the managers, they drove the bus. You had your checks and balances. You talked to the owner and the GM, but you drove the bus.

“Because of analytics, decisions are data-driven. That has been the biggest shift I’ve seen. The front office and their analytics with the coaching staff is more a collaboration. … As a manager, you might say ‘I see this or that.’ But you’re not driving the bus.”

Bochy’s familiarity with Young surely helped alleviate any potential concerns, as Young played for him in 2006 with the Padres. But the Rangers are believed to have made him among the highest-paid managers to convince him to come out of retirement. So while the front office and analytics staff will provide feedback, it would indicate that the team appears ready to lean on his extensive resume to guide Texas back to the postseason.

How that balance plays out will go a long way toward determining the outcome of Bochy’s tenure with the Rangers. But on Friday, they got their No. 1 target in a hire that they believe will transform the organization.