The Texas Rangers continued remodeling its coaching staff under manager Chris Woodward on Thursday. The team announced the promotion of Brett Hayes to bullpen coach and the hiring of Seth Connor as the team’s new assistant hitting coach.
Hayes, 38, has been with the Rangers for five years, but his new bullpen role will be the first full-time role he’s had with the team. The 13-year Major League pitcher spent four seasons as the club’s “coordinator of run prevention.” In a press release, the team said Hayes was tasked with “preparing comprehensive advance scouting reports on each upcoming opponent with a focus on run prevention, while also leading in the communication of the information he generated” in his previous role.
Hayes will join a pitching staff that includes co-pitching coaches Doug Mathis and Brendan Sagara, a duo that shared pitching coach duties last season. Both Mathis and Sagara will be in the dugout next season with Hayes in the bullpen.
Conner, 29, has some familiarity with Woodward. Conner worked as a hitting coach within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization from 2017-20. Woodward was the third base coach for the Dodgers 2016-18.
Conner will join a hitting staff that’s undergone some changes from last season. The Rangers didn’t bring back hitting coach Luis Ortiz and bench coach Don Wakamatsu. The team did hire former San Francisco Giants assistant Donnie Ecker to be the team’s bench coach and offensive coordinator.
The Rangers, last place in the AL West with a 60-102 record, were also near the bottom of the league last season in offense, averaging 3.86 runs per game.
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