New Texas Rangers Hitting Coach Details His Rapid Hiring Process

The Texas Rangers new hitting coach talked about the relatively quick hiring process that led to him joining the franchise.

Jul 22, 2022; Seattle, Washington, USA; Former Seattle Mariners player Bret Boone smiles during pregame activities before the game against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. | Lindsey Wasson-Imagn Images

Bret Boone played more than a decade playing in the Majors, but he never followed the rest of his family into the business of coaching — until now.

The Texas Rangers named Boone their new hitting coach on Monday, as he replaced Donnie Ecker. Boone has never been a Major League coach of any kind. But his brother, Aaron, is manager of the New York Yankees, while his dad, Bob, managed two different Major League teams.

By the sound of, the hiring process happened fast — as in, within about 48 hours. Boone detailed it during his Brett Boone Podcast on Monday.

On Saturday, Boone was at USC, his alma mater, where the threw out the first pitch before a baseball game. There were many people at the game, including Texas Rangers legend Michael Young, who is now a special assistant to the general manager. He’s also a native of Covina, Calif.

Boone thought it odd, but the two have been friends for a long time and share California roots. They chatted for 10 minutes. Boone thought nothing of it. He told Young to send his regards to president of baseball operations Chris Young and manager Bruce Bochy, the latter of whom he played for in 2000 in San Diego.

Then things got odder. Boone got home and his phone rang. It was Bochy. Boone had no idea what the manager — who was preparing for Saturday’s game against the Seattle Mariners — might want.

“I said, ‘Bruce I know you can't get enough — you want to come back on the podcast,’ because we've had Bruce on quite a few times,” he said to his co-host.

Bochy quickly dispelled the notion that he was stumping for air time. He had something more serious on his mind.

“No, Boonie, it’s a different call,” he said Bochy told him.

Bochy made his pitch. Boone listened. Then he took the night to talk with his family and his close friends about the opportunity. The biggest reason he was open to the idea was because of his relationship with Bochy.

“It didn’t take long,” Boone said. “You know, it’s one of those things where I didn’t know where this journey was taking me. But if there’s a guy to get back on the field with for the first time in a long time, for me, Bruce Bochy is number one on my list.”

Boone will be tasked with helping an offense that has dramatically underachieved so far this season and has seen the Rangers option Jake Burger to Triple-A and put outfielder Leody Taveras on outright waivers in the past four days.