It didn’t take the Texas Rangers long to find a new manager after future Hall of Fame skipper Bruce Bochy announced he would not be returning for the 2026 season.

In fact, the Rangers didn’t really even conduct much of a search; instead, knowing they already had their guy in-house.

When Skip Schumaker joined the Rangers as a special assistant before the 2025 season, Texas had its sights set on making him Bochy’s successor.

However, Schumaker knew he had a unique opportunity to learn from one of the greatest to ever sit behind a dugout.

Schumaker said that when he joined the Rangers front office, he got a call from Bochy, who unexpectedly said he couldn’t wait to learn from the former Miami Marlins skipper.

As surprised as anyone, Schumaker wasn’t so sure that he would be able to teach the four-time World Series champion skipper, much.

That moment paved the way for a relationship full of lessons that Schumaker will take with him as he now sits in the Rangers' dugout in 2026 and beyond.

In a very rare way, Schumaker’s journey to the Rangers bench won’t be a far one. Having the unique opportunity to be within the organization for a full year before becoming the manager certainly appears to be one of Schumaker’s biggest strengths coming into 2026.

Additionally, Schumaker has started his Rangers tenure relationally, meeting with players one-on-one throughout the offseason, attempting to diagnose the struggles of 2025.

That strategy has already aided Schumaker in the past, as in 2023, he led a Marlins team that lost 93 games a season prior, all the way to the postseason.

Now, Schumaker will look to do the same with a Rangers roster that certainly has far more talent on it than that Miami team did.

Perhaps, Schumaker’s most important task in Year One will be figuring out how to turn around an offense that has struggled immensely since winning the World Series in 2023.

Despite the struggles, the Rangers will have the caliber of players needed to spark a big bounce back.

Additionally, the Rangers will feature one of the best rotations in all of baseball, led by Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and MacKenzie Gore.

There’s no doubt that Schumaker has the roster needed to be able to have a very competitive baseball team.

Now, as is the case for any manager, Schumaker will need to figure out how to put the pieces together to help the Rangers return to the postseason for the first time since their World Series title.

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