Texas Rangers’ search for pitching coach will start with look inside the organization
The search for a new pitching coach will begin next week as Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels and staff meet to consider who they will seek to interview for the most significant opening on manager Chris Woodward’s staff.
Daniels said the hire will likely come toward the end of the month.
The Rangers dismissed Julio Rangel on Tuesday after his second season. There wasn’t a single smoking gun that caused the Rangers to move on from Rangel, who had many strengths but there was a sense the information he was giving pitchers wasn’t getting through.
A new voice might be able to make a better connection.
First, though, the Rangers will look within the organization for Rangel’s replacement, Daniels said. Bullpen coach Doug Mathis and Triple A Nashville pitching coach Brendan Sagara are candidates to receive interviews, but Danny Clark and Jono Armold will likely remain in the roles as pitching coordinators after the Rangers have seen progress on the development side.
“We don’t want to strip that down,” Daniels said. “There aren’t a ton of guys we’re going to consider internally.”
Mathis, who pitched for the Rangers in 2008 and 2009, completed his first season at bullpen coach last month. Sagara was in his first season in the organization, and also served as a special assistant over player development.
While Nashville did not play this season, Sagara was one of the extra coaches at the alternate site during the season. The Rangers liked the work done with that group and saw results in MLB games from pitchers such as Kyle Cody, John King and Wes Benjamin.
“The young guys came up and pitched well,” Daniels said. “Taylor Hearn went down and got better.”
Hitting coach Luis Ortiz, who oversaw the worst offenses in baseball, will return for 2021, and so will assistant hitting coach Callix Crabbe.
Catching coach Hector Ortiz will not return. He has been offered another job in the organization but hasn’t decided if he will accept it.
