Texas Rangers hiring Will Venable speaks to Chris Young’s genius

The news of Will Venable leaving the Boston Red Sox to become ‘Associate Manager’ of the Texas Rangers may not seem like a big deal to most, but let the record show that this transaction is precisely why Chris Young has been such a good hire at GM for this organization.

Venable, a former Ranger player and Chris Young’s teammate at both Princeton and in San Diego with the Padres, was listed as a possible managerial candidate for Texas before they settled on Bruce Bochy. Reporting to Red Sox manager Alex Cora as his bench coach the last two seasons, Venable is highly touted for his baseball acumen and will now bring this knowledge to the Rangers.

‘Associate Manager’ Will Venable was a fantastic hire by Chris Young and the Texas Rangers

Becoming ‘Associate Manager’ is probably what drew Venable to Texas, effectively receiving a ‘promotion’, but will be acting as Bruce Bochy’s bench coach in the interim. And that’s the genius of this all: Chris Young lured Venable from his position in Boston to become Bochy’s potential successor down the line. That’s called thinking ahead.

It’s no secret that Bochy has health issues, which in part led to his brief retirement from baseball in 2019. But as long as he’s got it in him to lead the Rangers back to prominence, he will. It still makes complete sense to have a backup plan in mind, though.

This is a slam dunk hire from Young, who really hasn’t needed to do much to prove his ability to think proactively on the job. The genius of this move won’t be readily appreciated because Will Venable isn’t a player acquisition, but setting up the Rangers for now and for later is a balance only so precious few in this organization’s history have been able to achieve.

Ultimately, all roads lead back to Chris Young’s salesman mentality: even if the Rangers don’t seem like an ideal destination on the surface, the GM can pitch you on a reality that’ll have you buying in right away. Will Venable’s hiring is the latest example of such.