Rangers announce 2023 coaching staff

ARLINGTON -- Bruce Bochy's first staff in Texas finally took shape on Friday, when the Rangers announced the 2023 coaching staff. Bochy joined the Rangers on October 21, agreeing to a three-year contract covering the 2023-25 seasons to become the 20th full-time manager in club history.

First-base coach Corey Ragsdale, bench coach and offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker, hitting coach Tim Hyers, third-base coach Tony Beasley, catching coach Bobby Wilson, bullpen coach Brett Hayes and assistant hitting coach Seth Conner are all returning after being on Chris Woodward’s staff in 2022.

Beasley is the longest-tenured coach on staff and is entering his ninth season after starting in 2015 on former manager Jeff Bannister’s staff. He served as the Rangers’ interim manager in ‘22 following Woodward’s dismissal. Ragsdale is entering his fourth season with Texas, and Wilson is on the staff for a third year. Ecker, Hyers, Hayes, and Conner will all be in their second season with Texas.

Beasley and Ragsdale are expected to share infield-coordinator duties in 2023.

Bochy added two new faces to his corps in 2022: associate manager Will Venable and pitching coach Mike Maddux. Maddux was the Rangers’ pitching coach from 2009-15, and he returns to Texas after stops in Washington (2016-17) and St. Louis (2018-22).

Venable was hired on Nov. 16 as associate manager and has spent the past five years as a coach for the Red Sox (2021-22) and Cubs (2018-20). He played nine seasons in the Majors as an outfielder with the Padres (2008-15), Rangers ('15) and Dodgers (‘16) and is expected to work with the outfielders throughout the season.

It’s unclear how Venable’s role as associate manager will affect Ecker’s role as bench coach.

“It’s just an exciting opportunity from everything they're doing here and continuing to build with that,” Venable said after he was hired. “Obviously, my relationship with [general manager Chris Young] and understanding his vision and talking for a long time about how our values overlap. He is who he is, and that energizes me. Then, obviously [Bochy] and everything that he's accomplished and having the opportunity to learn from him. With the players, the group that they have, and they're continuing to add. It’s overall a super exciting opportunity.”

Rangers' 2023 Major League coaching staff
Manager: Bruce Bochy
Associate manager: Will Venable
Pitching coach: Mike Maddux
First-base coach: Corey Ragsdale
Bench coach and offensive coordinator: Donnie Ecker
Hitting coach: Tim Hyers
Third-base coach: Tony Beasley
Catching coach: Bobby Wilson
Bullpen coach: Brett Hayes
Assistant hitting coach: Seth Conner