Texas Rangers Boss Has Respect of Major League Players in Latest Poll

The Texas Rangers hired Bruce Bochy as their manager three years ago in part because of the instant respect and credibility he brings to the job.

Three years later, that hasn’t changed.

Recently, The Athletic (subscription required) polled dozens of players around Major League Baseball on a variety of questions. One was simple — “Which manager, aside from your own, would you most like to play for?”

After 121 players responded to the anonymous poll, Bochy came out on top with 20 votes. Cincinnati manager Terry Francona was a close second at 17 votes.

More News: Could Revival Season of Veteran Rangers Ace Get Him Back Into All-Star Game?

The poll included a couple of comments that players offered up about Bochy.

One said, “A lot of championships.”

Bochy has four World Series titles to his name. He won three with the San Francisco Giants in 2010, 2012 and 2014. He won another with the Rangers in 2023. He became the sixth manager in MLB history to win at least four World Series.

Another player said, “I like old-school style.”

More News: Rangers Young Star Has Put Together Back-to-Back Outstanding Performances

Bochy certainly has that, but he also has a new-school edge. He’s willing to embrace analytics to a point and sees some of the new rules in the game, including the pitch clock and the pitcher disengagements rules, as positives.

After 26 years leading clubhouse, he has a reputation as a player’s manager. He rarely enters the clubhouse on gamedays and allows his players to police themselves. Part of that is his own experience as a player.

He broke into the Majors with the Houston Astros in 1978 as a backup catcher and played for two other teams, the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres, in a 10-year career in which he played in the 1984 World Series with the Padres. He also hit the only walk-off home off Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan in the former Rangers’ 26-year career.

Bochy moved into Major League coaching in 1993 with the Padres as a third-base coach and became the Padres’ manager in 1995. He led them to a World Series in 1998 and spent a decade with the franchise before he moved on to San Francisco to start the 2007 season.

More News: Rangers Star Ace Floated as Cubs' Trade Target in Potential Blockbuster Deal

Bochy led the Giants until the 2019 season. In addition to the three World Series titles, he was the second manager in Giants history to win 1,000 games with the franchise.

He spent three years out of the game before re-joining the Rangers and leading the franchise to its first title. Earlier this season he passed Sparky Anderson for sixth-most managerial victories in Major League history.

Bochy is on a path to the Baseball Hall of Fame and has four championship rings. No wonder he won the poll.

For More Rangers News, Head to Rangers On SI