Bogarting Bogar

Bogart – verb – to selfishly appropriate or keep

Forget Moneyball. Here in North Texas, we want Bogeyball.

Tim Bogar is my pick to be the next manager of your Texas Rangers and I’ll tell you why.

First, let’s start with Bogar’s track record, and in turn, his mentors:

• 2008 – coaching assistant to Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay Rays
• 2008-2012 – first and third-base coach to Terry Francona, Boston Red Sox
• 2013 – manager of Arkansas Travelers, AA affiliate of Los Angeles Angels
• 2014 – bench coach to Ron Washington, Texas Rangers

Studying under Maddon, Francona, and Washington certainly has it perks: learning the principles of implementing shifts under Maddon, learning baseball by the book under Francona, and learning how to run a clubhouse under Washington yields a man who is capable of leading a team to a World Championship.

And Bogar is that man.

After Bogar’s 2013 stint in the Los Angeles organization, the Angels Front Office and fans saw Bogar as a potential future manager and were understandably upset when Bogar decided to take his talents to Arlington.

In most cases, if a Rangers fan does not want Bogar as their manager, he or she is likely in favor of Mike Maddux. I like Maddux and the toughness, credibility, and stability he brought to a fragile Rangers pitching staff. Maddux deserves most, if not all, of the credit for the resurgence of Rangers pitching, which previously had been a pitcher’s graveyard.

However, I urge caution.

During Ron Washington’s tenure as manager, fans criticized Washington for his improper use of pitchers, lineups, and occasional stubbornness. If these criticisms sound familiar, I do not recommend Mike Maddux as your next manager. Washington often deferred pitching decisions such as bullpen use, starters’ usage, and when to make pitching changes to Maddux, given his immense expertise in the area. Washington and Maddux took too much heat and received too little credit during their tenure together. However, if Mike Maddux is named as the next Rangers manager, I expect him to run the franchise similarly to how Washington has the past 7 years.

If you loved the way Ron Washington led the Rangers, Mike Maddux is your guy.

For me, I enjoyed Ron Washington and agreed with many of his decisions. But Tim Bogar is my guy. The demure, quiet leadership displayed in the final 22 games of the 2014 season in which the Rangers won 14 showed me everything I need to know about Bogar’s leadership methodology.

In Eric Nadel’s The Tim Bogar Show preceding games, Bogar spoke softly, chose his words carefully, and never shied from expressing his opinions. My favorite Bogar quote:

“You look around the league … who has actually done better than Adrian at third base? Who are the other candidates who would maybe stand out above him? [Oakland’s Josh] Donaldson has had a good year offensively. I wouldn’t say he’s had a good year defensively … I don’t know statistically-wise, but in the games we’ve had he’s struggled throwing the ball over to first base and doing some things over there.”

What other manager would call out a rival’s MVP candidate as a shoddy defender? That alone deserves an extra gold star on his resume.

So move over Moneyball, I want Bogeyball.