ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Skip Shoemaker takes over as coach of the Texas Rangers after nearly a year in a consulting role that allowed him to observe, be around and learn everything about the team.
“There’s just no unique opportunity to really study an organization throughout the entire year,” Shoemaker said Friday. “I'm very grateful for that. … Usually during this process you get one or two interviews and try to figure out if this is the right place for you. I knew right away that we agreed on what we thought.”
Shoemaker's official introduction comes a week after the Rangers unsurprisingly named the 2023 National League Coach of the Year to replace Bruce Bochy. He received a four-year contract through the 2029 season.
Texas was the first of the eight major league teams to have a manager vacancy to fill. The Rangers didn't go far or take long to do so, never going outside the organization to interview anyone else.
Shumaker, 45, joined Texas as a senior adviser to baseball operations last November after leading Miami for two seasons. He previously served on San Diego's staff from 2018-21 and served as St. Louis' bench coach in 2022.
Chris Young, the Rangers' president of baseball operations, said he and others in the organization quickly developed a relationship with Shoemaker through discussions about baseball and understanding how each viewed the game.
“Throughout those conversations, it became very clear to us that Skip was the ideal person to lead us forward,” Young said. “He has amazing standards. He has the same beliefs and attitudes from a cultural standpoint. He has infectious energy, personality and care for people, and a great approach to him from a communication standpoint.”
Marlin Management
Shoemaker was a rookie manager when he led the Marlins to an 84-78 record and a playoff berth in 2023. That same season, he was a National League executive as the Rangers won their only World Series title in Bochy's debut with them.
Miami fell to 62-100 in 2024 after changes in the front office and roster losses due to trades and injuries. Before this season, Shoemaker requested that his 2025 club option be revoked.
Connection with Bochy
Shortly after Schumaker took on a consulting role with the Rangers last year, he received an encouraging call from Bochy, a four-time World Series champion in 28 seasons as a manager in San Francisco, San Diego and Texas.
“It just broke the ice and made me feel comfortable,” Shoemaker said. “He let me come to meetings, we texted every now and then throughout the season. So I'm really grateful for the way he did that and allowed me to learn from him.”
Bochy, 70, was ending a three-year contract with the Rangers after the 81-81 season, the franchise's first .500 record in 65 seasons. It was their second straight unbeaten season since they won the World Series, and on September 29, the day after the regular season, he and Young came to a mutual decision to end their managerial tenure with the team.
Before Shoemaker and Bochy, all three previous Rangers managers over a 16-season span were hired without previous major league management experience: Ron Washington (2007-14), who led them to their first two World Series, Jeff Banister (2015-18) and Chris Woodward (2019-22).
World Series vs. Texas
As a major league second baseman and outfielder, Shoemaker hit .278 in 1,149 games over 11 seasons with St. Louis (2005-12), Los Angeles Dodgers (2013) and Cincinnati (2014-15). He was part of the Cardinals team that beat Texas in the World Series in seven games in 2011.
“It was a special moment for our family, maybe not special for the Texas Rangers,” Shoemaker said.
He also frequently reminded Michael Young and Ian Kinsler, former Rangers players on that team and now special assistants in the organization, about this.
“I don’t think I can say that anymore now that I’m a Texas Ranger,” Shoemaker said. “I realize I need to switch my mind and not bore them too much about it anymore, now that I'm on this side.”
And try to win another World Series for Texas.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
