Former Rangers Coach Bobby Wilson Lands Similar Role with Nationals

Bobby Wilson was the first coach to reveal that he would leave the Texas Rangers’ coaching staff after Bruce Bochy left the organization.

A Texas Rangers cap and baseball mitt sit on the dugout steps during a game against the Athletics at Globe Life Field. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

It was only a matter of time before Bobby Wilson found a new job. On Tuesday, it sounded like he was ready to land in the National League.

Per the Washington Post on X (formerly Twitter), Wilson is set to be named the Major League catching coordinator for the Washington Nationals, which just hired Blake Butera as their manager and announced that Simon Mathews would be the pitching coach. Wilson’s hiring has not been formally announced.

Wilson appears to be one of the first members of Bruce Bochy’s staff to land a new job. Wilson was also the Texas Rangers’ catching coordinator after missing out a minor league managing job in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He helped turned Jonah Heim into an American League Gold Glove winner in 2023 and, per Statcast, Rangers catchers were fourth in fielding run value and third in catcher framing runs during his tenure.

Rangers Staff Changes

Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

With the Rangers parting ways with Bochy after three seasons, Texas quickly hired Skip Schumaker as manager. The former Miami Marlins boss led that franchise for two seasons, took them to the playoffs in 2023 and then joined the Rangers front office as a special advisor before the 2025 season after he and the Marlins parted ways.

With that, the majority of Bochy’s staff has filtered out. Pitching coach Mike Maddux has signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Third base coach Tony Beasley will reportedly not be retained. Hitting coach Bret Boone — who replaced offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker in May — is not expected to be retained.

Texas has not made announcements on Schumaker’s staff. The franchise typically doesn’t formally announce the coaching staff until all coaches have been hired. But, Schumaker is clearly being allowed to put his imprint on the new staff. Bochy, who returned to baseball in 2023 after a three-year absence, inherited most of former manager Chris Woodward’s staff. President of baseball operations Chris Young and his staff are in Las Vegas for the annual general managers meetings.

The Rangers are out to trim payroll and get younger this coming season. Texas spent more than $200 million in payroll for the third straight season and are waiting to learn if their 2025 payroll exceeded the competitive balance tax. Including arbitration and pre-arbitration players, the Rangers already have an expected payroll of more than $190 million before they make moves in free agency.