ARLINGTON — The Rangers may have scored runs on Sunday, but it was too late to save offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker’s role with the club.
The Rangers announced hours after Sunday’s 8-1 win over Seattle, only the second time in two weeks they’d scored more than two runs, a change in the club’s offensive coaching structure. Ecker, who was in his fourth season with the Rangers, was the prime architect of offensive game-planning and instruction.
The Rangers, who were departing for Boston on Sunday night ahead of a road trip, did not announce the full plan for the restructuring of the hitting staff. In a news release, the Rangers said the structure of the staff will be addressed in the coming days.
“After lengthy discussions and deliberations, we feel now is the appropriate time to provide our hitters with a new voice as we pursue goals of winning the division and reaching the postseason,” Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said in a statement. “We are extremely grateful to Donnie for all that he has accomplished here with the Rangers, including his role in the club’s 2023 World Series championship. We wish him the best.”
Related:Chris Young: ‘Everyone shares responsibility’ for Texas Rangers’ early offensive struggles
Ecker was not available for comment on Sunday evening.
While the Rangers had a robust offense in 2023 on the way to the team’s first World Series title, the offense has regressed over the last two seasons. A year ago, the Rangers ranked 18th in the majors in runs scored and 23rd in OPS. They entered Sunday’s game against Seattle last in run production, averaging 3.09 runs per game, and 27th in OPS (.636). It was nearly 70 points below the MLB average.
Over the past three weeks as the club’s slump has deepened, the Rangers have tried an increasingly aggressive set of tactics to try to get the offense moving. It began with dropping Marcus Semien from the leadoff spot and Adolis García from cleanup. The club then reduced Leody Taveras’ playing time in center field. On Thursday, the team optioned first baseman Jake Burger, one of the key offseason acquisitions, to Triple-A Round Rock.
The club had a mandatory full-squad on-field batting practice session and another game with no organized batting practice whatsoever. Neither got the offense started.
In losing four straight games after their 15-2 supposed breakout win over the Athletics on Tuesday, the Rangers scored three runs and slashed .160/.216/.184/.400. They managed just one extra-base hit in that stretch — a two-out homer in the ninth by Josh Smith on Friday in a game in which they were down 13-0.
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