Ex-MLBer says Bruce Bochy nailed the blueprint for leading Rangers through slump

Following yet another loss on Saturday night that was due to an offense that isn’t able to break out of its slump no matter who is put in the lineup and who is taken out, frustrations are obviously high. The loss on Saturday was the second straight game in which the Texas Rangers scored just one run against the division leading Seattle Mariners. 

Frustrations are obviously high inside the clubhouse. They’re also high among the fanbase and when a team loses 8 of 10 games, it’s to be expected that some fans are will blame anyone and everyone. Even Bruch Bochy hasn’t been totally immune from some wondering whether he’s out of answers.

Bruce Bochy’s response to Rangers slump shows why he still has the clubhouse

However, before Texas Rangers fans start yelling for Bochy to be replaced with their whole throat, it’s important to point out that people outside the situation see a manager uniquely suited to guide this team through this situation. And they pointed to what the veteran manager had to say after Texas’ Friday loss as a key reason why.

Rangers broadcaster Jared Sandler posted on social media that he had a former Major League Baseball player reach out to him unbidden about the club’s struggles. This unnamed player said that comments Bruce Bochy made in his post game press conference showed that he understands his club and what will work and what won’t.

The player said that if he was a Rangers fan, he would like that Bochy was being honest about his team’s performance without taking them to task to the media.

“I’ll be honest,” Bochy said in Friday’s postgame. “I feel for these guys. I know they are doing all they can to get out of it. We’ve met. We’ve talked. We’ve done all the things you could think of. So I’m behind these guys. There’s nothing to be angry about because they are giving their best effort. Granted it’s not going well right now.”

The former player believes (according to Sandler) that when a team is in this kind of drought, its players will appreciate the manager having their back in public.

“As this player pointed out,” Sandler said. “Bruce Bochy's calm, even-keeled disposition, with a little understood frustration sprinkled in, helps keep things afloat. If he needs to chew a player out, he can do it privately.”

“But his consistent support for players, knowing that they are working their tail off, is something that helps a clubhouse stay together, helps a team stay confident, even when things are going poorly, not just in this case for a few days or a week. Multiple weeks, which has been the reality for this Rangers lineup.”

Bochy has been around for a long time and he’s been successful for a long time. While it’s nice to think there is an immediate and perfect fix for whatever is going on with the offense, it’s important to note that the Texas Rangers’ manager knows this group best and he knows what’s going on behind the scenes. Ripping players in public might be therapeutic for fans, but it rarely means anything good for the team itself.