Bruce Bochy’s Handling of Rangers 2023 World Champions Deserves Respect

The Texas Rangers will have a new manager in 2026, but Bruce Bochy’s tenure as manager will always be remembered for helping the franchise win the 2023 World Series.

Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young presents new team manager Bruce Bochy his Rangers jersey and cap during a news conference at Globe Life Field. | Jim Cowsert-Imagn Images

The 2026 Texas Rangers are going to look much different. President of baseball operations Chris Young made that clear on Monday.

The parting between the Rangers and manager Bruce Bochy was unexpected in how quick it was. The regular season ended on Sunday. Bochy was not under contract, and the 70-year-old wasn’t angling for a new job. But the decision was more about the future than the past, Young said.

Changes are coming. The team will be getting younger, he said. That means payroll will probably come down. Bochy won’t necessarily be shepherding a team with a high payroll and high expectations in 2026. But Young spent plenty of time on Monday in an interview with the media lauding Bochy’s three years in Texas, including the 2023 World Series title, the first in franchise history.

Chris Young on Bruce Bochy

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Bochy was 249-237 in three seasons with Texas. He leaves the organization with 2,252 career wins, sixth-most in baseball history. He is one of three managers to win a World Series in both leagues. He will be in the Baseball Hall of Fame once he decides to retire.

When Young went to Bochy after the 2022 season, the Rangers were coming off six straight losing seasons and were two years removed from a 102-loss season. Young was looking for credibility in the manager’s chair. Bochy was three years removed from his long tenure with the San Francisco Giants. Bochy was Young’s only real choice. The only other candidate interviewed was third-base coach Tony Beasley, who was the interim manager in 2022 after Chris Woodward was fired.

He got that and so much more from Bochy. Young played for the manager for one season in San Diego. He respected him, but his short history in San Diego did not prepare the former Rangers pitcher for watching Bochy pull the strings on that magical season.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a calmer, steadier person, especially during rough times, than Bruce Bochy,” Young said.

The Rangers struggled in August and September of that season. Part of that was due to injuries to third baseman Josh Jung and pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. The Rangers had already lost Jacob deGrom to Tommy John surgery. Texas clinched a playoff berth the final week of the season but were unable to win the AL West title. That seemed to spark the Rangers.

Texas became the first team to win a World Series title going undefeated on the road, as they went 11-0 away from Globe Life Field. Young said that postseason was Bochy at his best.

“The way he managed the pitching staff and specifically a bullpen that, you know, really didn't have a ton of great options,” Young said. “It wasn’t a deep bullpen, but it was a quality bullpen with the arms we had. Bochy managed it perfectly. He really was brilliant. It was just magical to watch and to enjoy and celebrate alongside him.”

Young and the Rangers had hoped for more from Bochy. But, in three seasons he helped the organization achieve something it had never done before — a world championship. No matter what lies ahead, Young sounded grateful to have Bochy as long as he did.

“He brought instant credibility wisdom and legitimacy to a team looking to emerge from a rebuild,” Young said. “It only took him one season to accomplish a goal that had eluded this organization for 52 years.”