Five Things to Know About New Rangers Manager Skip Schumaker

The Miami Marlins hired Schumaker to lead their team in 2023 after spending six years in coaching, as a first base coach, associate manager and bench coach. He replaced Don Mattingly and was hired by general manager Kim Ng.

His first season with Miami ended with the Marlins winning 84 games and sneaking into the final NL wild card spot. The Marlins lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the wild card series. The following season Ng left the franchise after ownership wanted to hire a president of baseball operations above her. Schumaker was reportedly upset about the move.

The Marlins went 62-98 in his second season but didn’t finish it out as he left the team late in the season due to a family emergency. He and the team mutually parted ways after the season.

He is 146-176 in two seasons with Miami. That was his only managerial experience.

The Cardinal Way

No MLB franchise had more of an impact on Schumaker than the St. Louis Cardinals. The franchise drafted him in the fifth round of the 2001 MLB draft out of UC Santa Barbara. In his one full season with UCSB, he batted .400 and had 100 hits. He made his MLB debut in 2005, and he emerged as a regular in 2008.

He was never named an All-Star, but he was productive in St. Louis (2005-12), as he slashed .288/.345/.377 with 23 home runs and 211 RBI.

After his playing career ended, he moved into coaching and eventually returned to St. Louis in 2021 to serve as Mike Shildt’s bench coach. The following year, he served in the same role for first-year manager Oli Marmol, as he guided the Cardinals to a division title.

He’s Partially Responsible for Rangers Pain

Yes, Schumaker was part of the 2011 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, the team that beat the Texas Rangers in seven games.

That season he played in 117 games for the Cardinals, as he slashed .283/.333/.351 with two home runs and 38 RBI. He played in six games in that World Series, as he batted .182 (2-for-11) with a run scored and an RBI.

One could say he owes the fan base an apology. Perhaps a second World Series title would do?

He’ll Probably Wear No. 55

While many managers wear hoodies or other team apparel in the dugout, they’re all assigned a number Don’t be surprised if Schumaker wears No. 55 for the Rangers. That number is currently worn by reliever Chris Martin, who is a free agent.

Why No. 55? Schumaker grew up in Torrance, Calif., and makes his offseason home in Orange County. He grew up a Dodgers fan and early in his career he ran into then-Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda and pitcher Orel Hershiser. Both autographed his glove and inscribed it “To a future Dodger …:”

Hershiser’s number was 55. When Schumaker was promoted to the Majors, he was assigned No. 55 and kept it. The only time he didn’t wear No. 55 was when he joined the Dodgers as a player in 2013. He was assigned No. 3. But, when the number became available, he changed it to No. 55.

His Final Stats

He played more than 10 years in the Majors, putting him in a select club of players with 10 or more years of service time. He was never an award winner, but he was always productive. He ended his career with the Cincinnati Reds in 2014 and 2015.

His final career slash was 278/.337/.364 with a .701 OPS. He wasn’t a power hitter, as he finished with 28 home runs and 284 RBI.

That’s the only area where he has Bochy beat. The 70-year-old was a backup catcher for his entire nine-year MLB career and slashed .239/.298/.388 with a .685 OPS. He had 26 home runs and 93 RBI.