Will New Rangers Hitting Coach Tommy Joseph Have Impact on Offense?

The Texas Rangers have hired a new hitting coach to work on the staff in 2027. Will he have the desired impact?

Tommy Joseph. Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

The Texas Rangers have a complete hitting staff as they announced the hiring of Tommy Joseph as Major League hitting coach on Wednesday.

Joseph will work under lead hitting coach Justin Viele. Texas announced earlier this month that assistant hitting coach Alex Cintron is moving to a different role in the organization. He is listed as an MLB hitting coach. Eric Dorton is still an assistant hitting coach.

Joseph comes to the Rangers with two years of experience in the Majors, having served as an assistant hitting coach with the Seattle Mariners in 2024 and the Baltimore Orioles in 2025. He has experience at the minor league level as a hitting coach with the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants.

He also has experience in the Rangers system as a player. But where can he help Texas in 2027?

Tommy Joseph’s Immediate Impact

Texas Rangers lead hitting coach Justin Viele. Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Rangers are trying to build a lineup that is versatile and can do multiple things at the plate. They also want a patient lineup. Joseph was part of hitting staffs that preached that in both Seattle and Baltimore.

The Mariners and the Orioles were among the best in the American League in pitches per at-bat, which could be seen as a measure of that patience. In 2024 the Mariners were No. 1 at 4.00 pitchers per at-bat. In 2025 the Orioles they were No. 5 with 3.92 pitchers per at-bat.

The Rangers would also like a lineup that can wear down pitchers and avoid chase at the plate. They could certainly lean into Joseph's experience in that regard.

His work as a player will likely engender some buy-in from Major League players. He was a second-round pick of the Giants in the 2009 MLB draft and played in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016 and 2017, where he batted .247 with 43 home runs of 116 RBI and 249 career games.

Joseph logged time in the Rangers organization in the minor leagues. He played for Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock in 2018 and slashed .284/.351/.533 with 21 home runs and seventy RBI. His playing career ended in 2020.

Texas is coming off a 2026 season in which their offensive numbers ticked up from 2025, but it wasn't enough to get their offense back to the level it was in 2023 when they won the World Series.

The Rangers finished 80-82 and one game behind the Houston Astros in the American League West. The Rangers are hoping Joseph can add something to the hitting room that they lacked last year.