Heim's bounce-back effort months in the making

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- At the end of last season, Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, catchers coach Bobby Wilson and starting catcher Jonah Heim sat down for an exit interview.

Bochy, a likely future Hall of Fame manager, is used to having these types of conversations. It¡¯s part of his job, and it¡¯s part of what has made him such a great manager for almost 30 seasons.

That conversation needed to be an honest one.

After earning an All-Star selection and Gold Glove Award in 2023, as well as catching every postseason game en route to the first World Series title in franchise history, Heim had a down year in '24.

Heim posted a slash line of .220/.267/.336, and his defensive metrics across 110 starts behind the plate sagged, as well. He recorded a 70 wRC+ in 131 total games between catcher and designated hitter. He was not a qualified hitter, in terms of plate appearances. If he was, that would rank in the bottom five in the Majors

¡°We had some stern conversations, and we were very upfront with him,¡± Wilson said. ¡°The one thing about Jonah is that he takes constructive criticism very well. I believe he knows his best interest, and what's best for Jonah is my main concern. We've built that relationship to where I think he understands it and we¡¯re able to have those difficult conversations with him. It is a lot easier.¡±

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Heim was self aware. He knew his numbers weren¡¯t ideal.

¡°Jonah has a tremendous makeup of a player that is coachable and accepts feedback,¡± Bochy said. ¡°He was good and receptive. He's put in a lot of work this winter, so I'm excited about where he's at. I look forward to watching him play this year. I think we're going to see a different player. When I say different player, I mean, obviously his play wasn't quite up to what it was a year before. But I think he¡¯s still one of the best catchers in the game.¡±

Getting Heim back to his 2023 form started at that exit interview.

What would his offseason look like? What would the strength and conditioning schedule be? How does the training staff keep Heim healthy?

All of those things had to be taken into consideration.

¡°We needed to keep an eye on him to make sure he's doing the right things that he needs to be successful,¡± Wilson said. ¡°To Jonah's credit, he was very forward facing. He showed up to the ballpark pretty much every day in the offseason. He worked out with our strength coaches and hit with our hitting guys, so we could really have a full offseason of just being with him.¡±

Heim said he got bigger and stronger. He found a swing that worked for him consistently. He no longer feels like he needs to tinker with his swing every day.

Everything this offseason was about getting his body right in order to contribute across the board.

¡°We see the enthusiasm, the energy, the leadership, how he's worked with the pitchers,¡± Wilson said. ¡°The commitment that he's made to his body and taking care of it has been the best it's been since I've been here, which again, is a credit to him for really taking the next step and understanding.

¡°Sometimes it has to be forward facing, and sometimes it has to be in the eyes of the coaches and decision makers, but more importantly, his teammates. I have high expectations for Jonah, because we know what he has been in the past, and we know what he can be.¡±

Defense, despite his advanced metrics falling, was not a major emphasis for Heim during the offseason. That was never a real major concern last season, especially with his elite handling of the pitching staff and game-calling in general.

But Wilson did emphasize that they want Heim to take an even bigger leadership role and be more assertive this season.

¡°Jonah is very quiet,¡± Wilson said. ¡°He has a low motor -- a man of few words. But we want him to really just be prepared when he has questions asked to him, making sure that he is prepared with answers. He¡¯s super prepared. He's ready for the tough questions, but just in game, the energy that he brings behind the plate, everybody else feeds off of that.

¡°The ¡¯23 season, I felt like that was just scratching the surface. He's in a much better place now. So I'm really looking forward to what he brings this year.¡±