The Texas Rangers moved on from Bruce Bochy at the end of the 2025 MLB season. Texas finished the year with an 81-81 record. And the team felt it was time for a new voice. Rumors floated that front office advisor Skip Schumaker was the frontrunner for the job. In the end, the result was never in doubt.
The Rangers have officially named Schumaker as their new manager, they announced on Friday night. Schumaker returns to the dugout for the first time since 2024. He spent two seasons at the helm of the Miami Marlins before joining the Rangers front office before the 2025 MLB season.
Schumaker's time in Miami also brought some success. In 2023, he was the National League Manager of the Year after helping Miami win 84 games while earning a postseason spot. In 2024, however, the Marlins fell back to Earth, missing the postseason entirely.
Rangers have stagnated since winning World Series
While Shumaker was leading the Marlins, the Rangers were on top of the baseball world. In Bochy's first season with the team, Texas went on to win its first World Series title. They defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks that season in five games.
Unfortunately, the team has stagnated since that championship victory. And the offense, specifically, has been a major issue. Texas owned the second-best team batting average, scored the third-most runs, and collected the second-most hits in MLB in 2023, according to ESPN.
Fast forward to 2025, and the offense has dropped off significantly. Texas collected the sixth-fewest hits, owned the fifth-worst batting average, and scored the ninth-fewest amount of runs this past season.
Schumaker is tasked with returning Texas to its previous state of contention. It won't be an easy task to complete. However, he has shown the ability to get the best out of his players. It will be interestng to see how Rangers players respond to this managerial chance in 2026.
