Team USA Manager Explains Skip Schumaker’s Key Trait for Rangers Success

Mark DeRosa and Skip Schumaker played enough baseball for enough teams for their paths to cross as teammates.

That happened in 2009 when both played for the St. Louis Cardinals. Both are now in their post-player careers. Schumaker just took over as manager of the Texas Rangers while DeRosa works for MLB Network and is the manager of Team USA in the World Baseball Classic for a second time.

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DeRosa is busy right now, but he’s keeping his eye on his old friend. Back in 2009, he said the pair hit it off from the start. His long friendship with Schumaker makes him uniquely qualified to talk about what the 46-year-old brings to the Rangers in his first season.

Mark DeRosa on Skip Schumaker’s Key Trait

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa watches the game from the dugout. — Team USA manager Mark DeRosa. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

DeRosa recently sat down with Evan Grant and John Blake on the SportsDay Rangers Podcast for The Dallas Morning News (subscription required). Besides talking about the WBC, he was asked about Schumaker and what he’ll bring to the Rangers.

DeRosa described his managerial style as a “broad brush. I want to command the guys in the room.” Schumaker he said, is a dogged strategist.

“He's a tactician,” DeRosa said. “I think that's the biggest thing for me. With Skip, no stone will be left unturned. No one will be more prepared, and he’ll have the guys prepared to go out there and win.”

Schumaker has referenced his playing days frequently in spring training, especially as it relates to utility players and fringe players trying to make the roster. He was one of those players for most of his career. But he slashed 278/.337/.364 for three teams, most notably with St. Louis, where he won a World Series ring in 2011 at the expense of the Rangers.

When his playing career ended, he moved into coaching with the San Diego Padres in 2018 and spent four seasons there before he became the bench coach with the Cardinals in 2022. He was there for a season before he was hired to replace Don Mattingly as manager of the Miami Marlins for the 2023 season.

His first season with Miami ended with the Marlins winning 84 games and sneaking into the final NL wild card spot. The following season general manager Kim Ng left the franchise after ownership wanted to hire a president of baseball operations above her. Schumaker was reportedly upset about the move. He and Marlins parted ways after the season.

He joined the Rangers as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Chris Young last year and was named manager in October to replace Bruce Bochy.