When it was revealed that Bruce Bochy would no longer be the manager for the Texas Rangers, fans immediately began to wonder who would replace the legendary skipper. A number of options were mentioned, but former player Skip Schumaker emerged as a serious candidate. Sure enough, Schumaker was recently announced as the Rangers' new manager.
On Friday, the Rangers held Schumaker's introductory press conference — where he was asked why he accepted the job.
“The unique opportunity to really learn an organization for a full year just doesn't happen,” Schumaker told reporters, via Rangers Sports Network. “I quickly learned the passion CY (Chris Young, Rangers' president of baseball operations) has for winning… and doing whatever he can to make this a first class organization. The alignment is real. Hardcore values and what we expect every single day, and making winning the most important part of our day, is exactly who I am and what my family is about.”
Rangers' new manager Skip Schumaker believes in “winning culture”
Schumaker made it clear that the potential to win played a pivotal role in his final decision. He clearly has strong belief in what the Rangers are building.
“I believe in a winning culture… Everywhere you walk around, every single department is about winning,” the new manager continued. “And winning culture to me is about communication… We are going to be the best at communicating from the front office all the way down to the clubhouse staff and training staff. We are absolutely aligned in what we think winning looks like and giving our best every single day.
“It doesn't matter how much we can give, but we're going to give everything we can that day to win…. Not every organization is ready to win a championship everyday and the players that we have, and the front office that we have, the staff that we have, made it easily the most attractive place to be.”
Schumaker brings an impressive track record to Texas. He spent 11 years in the big leagues as a player — spending time with the St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds. He received his first managing job in Miami with the Marlins in 2023. His first season went fairly well, as he led the ball club to an 84-win campaign. Miami went in a different direction following Schumaker's 62-win 2024 season, however.
Still, Schumaker had established himself as a legitimate big league manager. He was expected to be a popular possibility for teams in need of a new head coach this offseason. The Rangers did not waste any time, though, agreeing to a contract with Schumaker not long after their regular season came to an end.
