Do the Rangers have too many cooks in the kitchen with Bret Boone hire?

With the news that Donnie Ecker was going to be relieved of his duties as the Texas Rangers' offensive coordinator, it was decided pretty quickly that remaining hitting instructor Justin Viele would not take over the role. Instead, President of Baseball Operations Chris Young and manager Bruce Bochy have decided to bring in former big league slugger Bret Boone to replace Ecker.

This would indicate that the Rangers are opting for co-hitting coaches in Viele and Boone. It's an unusual arrangement for sure and begs the question of whether there could be too many chefs in the kitchen as the ballclub tries to get the bats producing at a more consistent clip. While both have the ability to do the job, who will the players seek out for guidance when they need it?

The Texas Rangers might have too many voices in the clubhouse with Bret Boone addition

The risk is that there could be mixed messaging coming from two coaches who will have their own ideas and approaches to hitting Major League pitchers, which is one of the most difficult things to do in all of sports. Some of the players have already established a relationship with Viele, and though it may not have yielded the results they were looking for in the first month of the season, adding a second voice runs the risk of creating confusion as to what the approach at the plate should be.

The 14-year veteran right-handed hitter had a solid career, making three all-star games and slugging 252 career homers. In 2001, he had his best season, mashing 41 homers and driving in 131 runs while maintaining an impressive .331 average. No one is doubting that Boone had a standout career as a hitter, but how will that translate to a coaching capacity?

Boone has never been part of a coaching staff before and has no experience as a hitting coach. He has had roles as a scout. It could be that Young, Bochy, and the Rangers organization like the combination of an experienced coach in Viele and a guy who has actually done it consistently at the major league level.

Whatever the plan is, it can't get much worse than it has been through the first 35 games, and the optimist in us wants to view this as a glass half full situation with nowhere to go but up. Hopefully, Boone and Viele will mesh perfectly and be on the same page with how the want the hitters to attack at the plate.