The Texas Rangers made an unexpected early-season coaching change early Sunday evening.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, among others, the Rangers have fired hitting coach Donnie Ecker in the midst of massive lineup struggles.
The Rangers have the second-worst offense in baseball in terms of runs scored and a record below.500 (17-18), despite their borderline elite pitching.
Texas’ pitching staff has a 3.44 ERA, which ties them for sixth in all of baseball and fourth in the American League, despite the fact that every team ahead of them has a winning record.
The Rangers making a change isn’t a particularly surprising move, but the timing is, given that it’s only a month into the season.
Major League Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, but Texas officials clearly felt the situation was serious enough to warrant immediate action.
With Jake Burger struggling so badly that he was demoted to Triple-A and Joc Pederson struggling to find his footing, the Rangers will look elsewhere for coaching solutions.
Ecker joined the organization prior to the 2022 season, with the official title of bench coach and offensive coordinator.
Texas ranked 12th in baseball in terms of runs scored in his first year, but he helped the lineup reach new heights in his second. Ecker, who ranks third in baseball in runs scored in 2023, helped lead the team to their first World Series appearance.
Last season, the Rangers fell to 18th in runs before suffering a disastrous first month in 2025.
Whether or not the change pays off will ultimately determine where the season goes from here on out.
