Saturday, August 02

Bill Ladson filled in for Kennedi Landry on today's newsletter.

NEW YORK -- Monday marked the two-week anniversary of when the Rangers named Bret Boone their hitting coach. Since Boone’s hiring, the Rangers are 8-6, while going 105-for-460 (.228) at the plate and scoring 55 runs. 

But the low batting average doesn’t tell the entire story. The players respect Boone immensely because he was once in their shoes. Boone is the same guy who played Major League Baseball from 1992-2005 with such teams as the Mariners, Braves and Reds.        

“[Boone] is able to use his knowledge and experience and relates to the players in a way that we haven’t had here in a while,” said Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien. “It has been fun to pick his brain, especially as a second baseman. He was an everyday guy. I feel I’m an everyday guy. It’s cool to talk to him in the cage.”    

Boone is still learning about the position players and getting caught up to the modern day verbiage. He calls himself a background player rooting for his players everyday. His goals for the Rangers’ hitters are the same as when he was a player: Prepare for 162 games, one at-bat at a time, and eliminate the noise between the ears. The hitters must understand there are going to be adjustments in every at-bat.     

“When I say slurve, Evan Carter might coin it a sweeper, but those are little nuances,” Boone told MLB.com. “We learn from each other as hitting coach and player. It’s the new age and it’s data. It’s not really as complicated as we like to make it. That’s my message. Let's simplify the game. This isn’t instructional ball. This isn’t Low-A ball. This is the big leagues. The guys are established big league hitters. 

“The Rangers won the World Series two years ago with the majority of this roster still intact. So they are not little kids. They are men. The World Series -- I have a lot of respect for that. I’m coming into a situation where these guys know how to succeed on the offensive side. It’s me giving my input now and what I learned through my travels.”

According to Rangers third baseman Josh Jung, Boone has helped him from a mental standpoint. Jung is no longer worried about the analytical part of the game. Since Boone coached his first game on May 6, Jung has a slash line of .314/.340/.627 with five home runs and 10 RBIs.

“I’m just watching the game, refining my approach. That’s all he preaches and it has helped me a lot,” Jung said. “He talks to me like a guy who has played the game. He always keeps a positive perspective on things. That’s what helps the most because it’s really easy after one at-bat to kind of get upset that you didn’t follow the game plan you wanted to, or things didn’t go your way. He is really good at saying, ‘You have three more at-bats. You got this.’”                              

Boone has a lot of influences when it comes to hitting, but his father, former big leaguer Bob Boone, and Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez stand out. When Bret would get in slumps, he would call his dad to get him out of it. Martinez and Boone were teammates for parts of six seasons when both were with the Mariners. Martinez taught Boone how to prepare for every at-bat. It worked, because Boone’s best years were with Seattle from 2001-05. He had three 100-RBI seasons and won two Silver Slugger awards.   

“We could get out of the father/son relationship and it could be coach/hitter,” Boone said. “He just knew my swing from a mechanical standpoint. Dad was a big part of my life during my Major League career.

“Edgar had a big influence on me. I picked his brain. With all the success he had, he helped me get to that next level. He was good at talking about the game and how to prepare for each and every at-bat. That put me to a different level offensively.”

Boone called Barry Bonds the best hitter he ever saw and no one is close. However, according to Boone, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is “special.” The month of June is soon approaching and Boone is amazed that Judge has a batting average over .400. Boone believes opposing teams might have to stop pitching to him. Judge has the uncanny ability to slow the game down like Bonds, according to Boone.      

“The fact that he is doing it right-handed, he is amazing,” Boone said. “I told this to [Yankees manager, and his younger brother, Aaron Boone] a few years ago, ‘If Aaron Judge ever figures it out and has the perfect season, he is the only man walking this earth that has the ability of hitting .350 with 70 homers. I remember Aaron going, ‘Man, he is pretty special. The .350 batting average is a little lofty.’ But that’s the only guy I see physically that is capable of doing it.”

To subscribe to Rangers Beat, visit this page and mark "Rangers Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Rangers or that they're checked as your favorite team.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (mlb-newsletters@mlb.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.