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Skip Schumaker Acknowledges One Area That Rangers Must Improve in 2026

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI | By Scott Roche | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 8:00 PM ET

When the Texas Rangers hired Skip Schumaker as their next manager, it was an easy decision. He had a front row seat in the front office in 2025 as a senior advisor to the president of baseball operations.

He saw the Rangers hang around in contention for an American League wild card berth until injuries to their pitching staff and key lineup contributors caught up with them. Texas had enough pitching to contend, but offensively, it was a tough year. That is one area where Schumaker knows improvements need to be made in 2026.

Skip Schumaker Knows Rangers Offense Needs to Improve in 2026

It’s no secret that the Rangers' offense was tough to watch at times last year. The number backs up just how tough of a season it was.

According to Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News (subscription required), Texas ranked in the bottom five in MLB in sacrifice hits (10), sacrifice bunts (20), and productive outs (132). Their slugging percentage was fifth-worst in MLB. They were below average in sacrifice flies with 40.

“I think everybody is frustrated,” said Schumaker. “My conversations with the players so far this offseason, (we’re) looking forward to finding out what our real identity is as an offensive team.”

Frustrated would be an understatement. Injuries didn’t help the cause, but Texas must improve in all categories in 2026. A healthy Corey Seager would go a long way in helping the offense bounce back next season.

“Corey Seager is a pretty good player,” Schumaker said. “I think he’s going to probably put up some insane numbers, and you know, be our aircraft carrier. But we all need to be pulling on the same rope in the direction of the offense.”

Seager is indeed a pretty good player, but he can’t do it all by himself. He only played 102 games because of injuries, and Joe Pederson only made it into the lineup in 96 games because of injuries. Wyatt Langford led the Rangers in home runs with 22. That type of power is not going to help an offense that struggled all season long.

As good as the pitching was for Texas, the offense held them back. They finished 81-81, which is somewhat of a surprise given their inability to score runs. Schumaker was able to get a Miami Marlins lineup that was offensively challenged turned around, and he led the National League playoffs in 2023. Rangers' fans are hoping he can do the same next season.