Hyers departs Rangers to become Braves' hitting coach
ARLINGTON -- The Rangers¡¯ big league coaching staff is getting a bit of a shakeup.
Hitting coach Tim Hyers is leaving the organization to take the same position with the Braves. Offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker and assistant hitting coach Seth Connor will remain with the Rangers as of now.
Hyers was a vital addition to Texas entering the 2022 season and, along with Ecker and Connor, transformed an offense into the best in the American League en route to the World Series title in '23.
Hyers has won a World Series at each of his past two stops as hitting coach, including the Red Sox in 2018.
The Rangers won the inaugural team AL Silver Slugger Award in 2023. Texas¡¯ 881 runs scored were the most in the AL, and the club slashed .263/.337/.442 with a 114 wRC+.
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A Georgia native who attended high school about 30 miles east of Atlanta, Hyers will make the lateral move to the Braves.
There were struggles in and around the 2024 season. Texas ranked 23rd in OPS in 2024 with .690 as several key contributors such as Adolis Garc¨ªa and Jonah Heim struggled throughout the year.
Even after falling short of the postseason in 2024, the Rangers praised the trio of Hyers, Ecker and Connor and expected a bounceback going into ¡®25.
At the end of the season, manager Bruce Bochy said the entire staff was invited to return, but Ecker and associate manager Will Venable have both interviewed for the White Sox managerial opening, in addition to Hyers' departure.
Ecker is no longer in the mix for the Chicago role, but the organization reportedly likes Venable.
The Rangers will likely fill Hyers¡¯ role soon, potentially within the next week, while keeping Ecker in the offensive coordinator role.