Arlington, Texas (Audacy Sports/WGR 550) - For manager Bruce Bochy, it was conceivable very early in the season that his Texas Rangers squad could be playing meaningful games deep into the fall.
That’s exactly what they’re doing, as they get set to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 World Series.
The Rangers tabbed Bochy to be their manager after firing Chris Woodward late in the 2022 campaign. At that point, the Rangers had spent big to land Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, but they struggled to make much forward progress.
After adding Bochy and bolstering the rotation in free agency, the Rangers blossomed into one of the American League’s most dominant teams. They went from missing the postseason each of the last six seasons to now advancing to the World Series after beating the Houston Astros in the ALCS.
Bochy said Wednesday during his weekly appearance on "K&C Masterpiece" that he knew even before spring training that the group was special.
"I went back and watched some games, had dinner with Corey Seager in Nashville, talked to Marcus during the offseason, got to know these guys. I knew this team was loaded with talent. I knew I was coming into a really great situation, to be honest," said Bochy.
"But when we went to spring training and seeing the club and just their presence, there was just something about this team that I felt good about. [Chris Young], what a great job he did bringing in the starting pitching he brought in too to send that confidence through the club that, 'Hey, we can play with anybody now.' That’s part of it. That’s maybe the last hurdle you have to get over is the winning part, believing you can win when you’ve had some losing seasons.
"But I think when you bring in [Jacob] deGrom, [Nathan] Eovaldi, [Andrew] Heaney, these guys knew we had a guy to go on the mound to compete with whoever they put on the mound. It just changed the mentality of the club, and we talked about things in the spring. But just seeing them on the field and looking at the other team on the field, I said I’ll be shocked if we’re not in the postseason and if we don’t make a lot of noise."
Now, the Rangers get to face a Diamondbacks team that made a surprise run after missing the playoffs each of the last five seasons.