Rangers pick Brocail, Holman for coaching staff

The Texas Rangers expect to have their coaching staff for 2016 in place no later than Thursday, and have picked Doug Brocail to replace Mike Maddux as pitching coach.

Maddux, meanwhile, has landed on his feet in the nation’s capital.

Brocail, 48, spent two of his 15 seasons as a major league pitcher with the Rangers, in 2004 and 2005, and most recently was the pitching coach for Houston’s Double A team in Corpus Christi.

He comes to the Rangers with experience on a big-league coaching staff. Brocail was the Astros’ pitching coach from 2011 to 2013 and served as a special assistant to the general manager in 2014.

Brocail told the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday morning that his agent is negotiating a contract with the Rangers.

Brocail was the only external candidate to interview face to face with club officials, while others from outside the organization interviewed over the phone. He beat out three internal candidates, minor league pitching coordinator Danny Clark, Double A pitching coach Jeff Andrews and Triple A pitching coach Brad Holman.

Holman, also a former big-league pitcher, has been tabbed as the bullpen coach, replacing Andy Hawkins.

The Rangers are still mulling their options for a hitting coach. Triple A hitting coach Justin Mashore, who traveled with the Rangers during the American League Division Series, is expected to be on staff either as the hitting coach or as an assistant hitting coach.

A baseball source said that Maddux has agreed to a two-year deal with the Washington Nationals to be their pitching coach on the staff of new manager Dusty Baker. Maddux, who spent the past seven seasons with the Rangers, will be introduced Thursday at a news conference in Washington.

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Rangers pick Brocail, Holman for coaching staff."