The Rangers announced that offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker has been fired after three-plus seasons in his role. No replacement was named, as the press release announcing the move stated that “the structure of the club’s hitting staff is expected to be addressed in the coming days.”
“After lengthy discussions and deliberations, we feel now is the appropriate time to provide our hitters with a new voice as we pursue goals of winning the division and reaching the postseason,” Texas president of baseball operations Chris Young said in the press release. “We are extremely grateful to Donnie for all that he has accomplished here with the Rangers, including his role in the club’s 2023 World Series championship. We wish him the best.”
The news comes in the aftermath of the Rangers’ 8-1 win over the Mariners Sunday, which marked just the third time this season that Texas had scored eight or more runs in a game. The Rangers entered Sunday's action ranked near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories and carried a team-wide .224/.280/.357 slash line and 82 wRC+ prior to Sunday's breakout against Seattle.
Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia are two of the most prominent under-performing regulars, while offseason signing Joc Pederson has a hard-to-fathom 2 wRC+ through his first 91 plate appearances in a Rangers uniform. Infielder Jake Burger was another offseason pickup who has struggled badly, and Texas already optioned him to Triple-A earlier this week. Leody Taveras has usually been a glove-first player anyway, but the Rangers chose to put the outfielder on outright waivers today.
These are a few of the major weak links that undermined a few hot starts within the lineup (i.e. Wyatt Langford, Corey Seager, Josh Smith, Jonah Heim), and more pressingly, a fantastic early showing from the Texas rotation. Even with so little from the offense, the Rangers have still managed an even 18-18 record thanks in large part to the outstanding starting pitching.
As always, it is unfair to point the finger at one particular coach (or coordinator, in this case) for a team’s performance. As Young noted in his own statement, criticism of Ecker’s work should also acknowledge the fact that the Rangers were an offensive powerhouse less than two years ago when Texas won the first World Series title in franchise history. That said, the 2024 Rangers followed up that championship season with a 78-84 record. Inconsistent pitching was the biggest issue last year, yet the offense also slumped to a 95 wRC+, ranking 22nd of 30 teams.
Ecker is only 39 years old, yet he already has a lengthy resume with multiple teams. He was a minor league hitting coach with various Cardinals and Angels affiliates from 2015-18, and he then moved to the big leagues as the Reds’ assistant hitting coach for the 2019 season. Ecker was one of two hitting coaches employed by the Giants in 2020-21 before he came to Texas as both a bench coach and the “offensive coordinator” role that focused on shaping the team’s overall offensive philosophy.
The bench coach duties changed this past offseason, as Ecker became just the offensive coordinator when Luis Urueta was hired as the Rangers’ new bench coach. Will Venable had previously been the Rangers’ associate manager before he was hired to manage the White Sox, so Urueta has apparently taken over the chief lieutenant role behind manager Bruce Bochy. Texas also made a change at hitting coach, as Justin Viele was hired while assistant hitting coach Seth Conner was retained.
As noted by Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News, this marks the first time in Bochy’s long managerial career that one of his coaches has ever been replaced during a season. In general, in-season coaching changes have become relatively rarer throughout baseball, since one particular coach is just one of several voices contributing to what has become an increasingly organization-wide approach to game-planning and preparation.
In the most basic sense that a coaching change can shake a team up, results have been mixed over the years. For every instance where a team is sparked by a change (i.e. the Mariners heating up after Dan Wilson was hired as manager and Edgar Martinez was hired as hitting coach last August), you can cite another where a staffing change didn’t get a club back on track.
Since it is also just May 4, it can be argued that we’re also still in “slow start” territory, with still a relatively small sample size of evidence that something is drastically wrong with the Texas offense. Of course, Ecker’s dismissal obviously means the Rangers didn’t feel the same way, given the abrupt and somewhat surprising nature of the firing. It will be intriguing to see how the team responds to the change, and whether or not the Rangers fill Ecker’s role from within the organization or with a new hire.
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The Chicago White Sox won only 41 games in 2024, setting a major league record for the most losses in a season. This season has already been better in Chicago. Although the White Sox remain in the AL Central basement, they won their 41st game of the season on Friday, a 6-3 victory over the Angels. The beginnings of the future core have started to take shape. Catchers Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel have performed admirably with the bat, giving the White Sox the potential for impressive depth behind the plate. Infielder Chase Meidroth has continued to put together strong at-bats and get on base. Third baseman Miguel Vargas has cooled down from a torrid May, but is still showing signs that he could be a building block. Fellow infielder Colson Montgomery had six homers in 23 games entering Saturday. The pitching staff needs more work but there are some building blocks at the major league level. Starters Shane Smith and Davis Martin look like solid back-of-the-rotation arms. Mike Vasil has been one of the more underrated relievers in the game. More pieces are coming through the pipeline. Top prospect Noah Schultz is expected to debut this season and could be a future ace. Pitcher Hagen Smith and outfielder Braden Montgomery should debut sometime in 2026. The White Sox may have reached rock bottom in 2024, but the future is bright. That future is coming sooner than one would expect. Yes, the White Sox have the second-worst record in the majors, but progress is being made. Those improvements can be seen in their record as the White Sox have already matched their win total from 2024.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have an interesting quarterback room for the 2025 season. With Aaron Rodgers set as the starter, Mason Rudolph returns as the backup after a brief stint with the Tennessee Titans. Will Howard and Skylar Thompson are also on the roster, but most of the attention in camp has been on Rodgers, Rudolph and Howard. Rodgers has brought a noticeable energy to the team, Howard has impressed early in camp with his athleticism and decision-making, and Rudolph is clearly enjoying being back in Pittsburgh. Rudolph left in free agency following a strong finish to the 2023 season, when he helped guide the Steelers into the playoffs. He signed with the Titans for the 2024 season, but the opportunity to return to Pittsburgh came sooner than expected. When the Steelers showed interest after the 2024 season, Rudolph jumped at the chance to come back, and shortly after, the team brought in Rodgers as well. The dynamic between the two veterans has become one of the more intriguing aspects of camp. Rudolph has expressed how excited he is to be back with the Steelers and to work with a quarterback like Rodgers. Learning from a four-time league MVP is a unique opportunity, and Rudolph is making the most of it. His energy, confidence, and familiarity with the team have made him a strong presence in the quarterback room, and the Steelers are clearly valuing what he brings on and off the field in 2025. Rudolph joked with Steelers insider Mark Kaboly about how much he admires Rodgers. "Yeah, I have to temper my warmth because I had a buddy send me a video and [he] said, 'Bro, your eyes are glazing every single time you are talking about Aaron Rodgers, so relax, take it easy.' Haha. But he has been great," Rudolph said. "He has been very helpful and very friendly and open to questions, whether that be football or non-football." While many wondered if Rodgers coming to Pittsburgh might create a problem with team chemistry, the reality has been quite the opposite. The quarterback room is thriving, and the atmosphere has been nothing but positive. Rodgers has stepped into a mentorship role, working closely with Rudolph and Howard, and the group seems to be building a strong bond. Rudolph recently shared a hilarious story about how often he talks about Rodgers. He said one of his good friends called him and joked that he was "glazing" Rodgers every time he mentioned him. Rudolph clearly has a lot of respect for the veteran quarterback, but even he admits he might need to tone it down when talking to his friends or the Pittsburgh media. "I am really enjoying it," Rudolph said. "I am trying to pick up anything I can from him. He has played a lot more football than most of us will ever know, so it’s a great resource." Rudolph has especially benefited from Rodgers’ presence and has made it clear how much he’s enjoying the opportunity to learn. Being back in Pittsburgh has given him a renewed energy, and he’s been fully engaged throughout camp. The early signs point to a healthy dynamic where all three quarterbacks are pushing each other and growing together. Steelers' Rodgers Is Elevating Team Chemistry To New Heights The fear was that Rodgers would create a media circus. That has happened to some degree, but not in the way many believed it would. In fact, most of the media attention has been overwhelmingly positive toward Rodgers. It is still early, and things can change very fast in the NFL. However, right now, this Steelers team chemistry is at an all-time high. As the 2025 season progresses and the new faces begin to gel together, this Pittsburgh team could peak at the right time. Rodgers and the rest of the newcomers have elevated the energy in Pittsburgh. Now the eyes are on them to see if they can sustain it for a full season.
A bizarre officiating call from NASCAR during Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway drew the ire of several individuals on Saturday evening. On Lap 222 of the HyVee Perks 250, Matt DiBenedetto made heavy contact with Corey Day. The contact heavily damaged DiBenedetto's Chevrolet and led to oil pouring from the rear end of his vehicle. But NASCAR kept the race green for another lap, allowing the field to drive through the part of the racetrack where DiBenedetto had laid down oil. Ross Chastain slid way up the track in turn 2, while Brandon Jones spun out and brought out the caution flag. CW analyst Jamie McMurray was frustrated by NASCAR's lack of action, and he was far from the only one. "I can't believe they didn't throw the caution," McMurray said on the CW telecast. "You could see that car (DiBenedetto) was smashed in the front. It didn't look like a tire rub. That'd make me mad." Coincidentally, it was in the same corner where Jones spun that Jesse Love lost the race lead to eventual race winner Sam Mayer. Love was unable to regain the top spot and finished second. "Once I lost the lead because of the oil on the top lane, it felt like it was going to be tough to get it back," Love told CW Sports after the race. "Dude. Was anyone else going THERE'S OIL THERE'S OIL?? That was bad," said The Athletic's Jeff Gluck in a social media post. "That might be the most inexplicable no call of the year and that's saying something," said Stephen Stumpf of Frontstretch.com. NASCAR's officiating is constantly under scrutiny in this day and age, but that scrutiny was warranted on Saturday afternoon.
There are plenty of players who are on the roster bubble currently at Philadelphia Eagles training camp, but one might be one foot out the door of the 53-man roster. Eagles wide receiver Johnny Wilson doesn't appear to be having his best training camp. In fact, all indications have been that Wilson is struggling. Much of it has been similar to the issues that hindered the 6-foot-6 receiver in his rookie season last year. Wilson has struggled to catch the ball consistently in the red zone on the outside, as he has been beaten by guys like 5-foot-10 rookie Mac McWilliams when he should have a size advantage. Wilson's time might be over and parked on the Eagles' practice squad Last year, Wilson had 15 total targets in the 16 games he played. He had just five catches for 38 yards and one touchdown. That's a catch percentage of 33.3%. Not great. Training camp has been a lot more of the same struggles as Wilson struggles against tight coverage. That should be his specialty, especially since he has a distinct size difference from every other skill player on the roster. It doesn't help that the emergence of 6-foot-4 receiver Elijah Cooks has complicated Wilson's situation. Day after day at camp, Eagles fans are hearing the spectacular catches Cooks is making and handling those tight coverages that we just discussed Wilson struggling with. Cooks has become a training camp darling in Philadelphia and a favorite to sneak onto the final roster. This has put Wilson in a position where he might be more of a candidate for the practice squad if he doesn't step up. The good news is that the Eagles haven't played any preseason games yet, so there is still hope for Wilson to turn it around, but it certainly is not looking great for the second-year wide receiver out of Florida State. It feels like Wilson is walking on eggshells the rest of training camp, and one wrong move could end his time on the active roster.