Texas Rangers hitting coach explains why they’re the hottest hitting team in the majors
Texas hitting coach Tim Hyers was on the Boston Red Sox staff in 2018 when they won the World Series He says he sees similarities between his former and the Rangers.
“Both groups had that workman-like mentality,” said Hyers. “They didn’t get too caught up in the numbers side of it or even the wins, they enjoyed it, but each day they came in ready to work and compete.”
The Rangers have a 41-23 record thanks in large part to an offense that’s been the league’s best.
The Rangers are putting up numbers that rival the Babe Ruth-led 1927 New York Yankees colloquially referred to as the “Murders Row’ that had four Hall of Famers in their lineup.
Through 60 games the Rangers have outscored opponents by 155 runs, the fourth-highest total of the modern era behind only the ‘Murders Row Yankees,’ the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics and the 1939 Yankees.
Hyers said it’s a fun time to be the hitting coach.
“I know how hard they [Rangers batters] work, how hard they prepare, how competitive they are so when you see their success on the field it’s very rewarding to be part of that,” said Hyers.
Last season was a different story for the Rangers. They were outscored by 36 runs on the season en route to a franchise record six straight losing season.
At the end of the season, General Manger Chris Young brought in new manager Bruce Bochy, brought back former pitching coach Mike Maddux but decided to keep Hyers as the team’s hitting coach.
Last season the Rangers averaged 4.36 runs per game with a batting average of .239 while ranking 13th in RBIs. This year the Rangers are averaging 6.25 runs per game with a .274 batting average and lead the MLB in RBIs by a significant margin.
What’s led to this season’s turnaround?
“Playing together, working together and just building upon each other’s at-bats,” said Hyers. “I think this year we got off to a really good start, built some confidence and we have some really good players too.”
One of those players was Marcus Semien, who had a slow start to the season last year. Statistically, he has been the best second baseman in the majors this year.
Semien leads all second basemen in RBIs (51) and runs (57) while ranking second in hits (79) and fifth in batting average (.296) not to mention Semien’s 25-game hit streak which was tied for the second longest in Rangers history.
Hyers specifically mentioned Semien as a player that stepped up behind the plate when star shortstop Corey Seager was sidelined earlier this season with a hamstring injury.
However, the Rangers’ historic hitting extends beyond Semien.
The Rangers have eight players who are Top 10 in RBIs for their position with right fielder Adolis Garcia, second baseman Semien and catcher Jonah Heim leading at their positions. This has many asking the question can they keep this up?
It’s not a concern on the mind of Hyers.
“We’re gonna work the same, we’re gonna prepare and we’re gonna be ready to go and compete,” said Hyers, “And hope the results keep adding up.”
The success of the Rangers lineup shouldn’t have been such a surprise. The team had three Silver Sluggers and four all-stars in their lineup heading into the season and those veterans have been key in setting the tone.
“Semien and Seager are great examples of that leadership and how to be a pro and how to prepare every day,” said Hyers, “They’re guys of few words but their actions speak loud.”
The veteran leadership has helped young players flourish, some of whom have outplayed expectations. Two that stood out to Hyers were Ezequiel Durán and Rookie of the Year candidate Josh Jung.
“I think we all knew Durán and Josh Jung were gonna be good, possibly this quick in their career with the numbers they’re putting up probably a little ahead of my anticipation,” said Hyers.
Hyers said he knew in preseason that this team has the chance to be something special because of the communication and the work they put in during spring training.
The effects of that work are evident, the Rangers have the second-most wins in the league. A year ago, the Rangers had just 26 wins by June 8 and finished with just 68.
While the injury-plagued pitching staff has not met its preseason expectations, the Hyers-led offense has led the way to the first-place Western Division standing.
