Rangers Add An Experienced Voice Next To Bruce Bochy
The Texas Rangers are gearing themselves to get back to contention.
They haven’t had a winning season or made the playoffs since 2016, and there have been some ugly campaigns ever since then.
However, they are determined to end that drought.
Last offseason, they signed Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Jon Gray, and other players.
This time, they brought in three-time World Series champ Bruce Bochy as the manager and are surrounding him with a talented staff.
“The Texas #Rangers hire Will Venable, the former #RedSox bench coach, to be Bruce Bochy’s associate manager,” MLB insider Bob Nightengale tweeted.
The Texas #Rangers hire Will Venable, the former #RedSox bench coach, to be Bruce Bochy’s associate manager
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 16, 2022
It’s still unclear if Venable with work alongside Bochy or if his duties will be more like a traditional bench coach: until the team expands on the “associate manager” term, Venable’s role will not be entirely clear.
A Good Add To The Rangers Coaching Staff
It is a fine addition by the Rangers, though.
He combines baseball experience with youth and an inclination for analytics.
After his playing days were over, he was named a special assistant to Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein in 2017.
After that, he served as the first base coach of the Cubs in 2018 and 2019.
He was their third base coach in 2020.
For the 2021 season, Venable moved to the Boston Red Sox and was Alex Cora‘s bench coach in a year in which the Sox made it all the way yo the Championship Series.
He retained his bench coach role for the 2022 campaign, and is now seemingly going up in the ladder, positioning himself to be a manager in the future.
He has accumulated valuable experience through the years, and working with Bochy should only help him.
He also has a lot to give to the Rangers.