Reports: Rangers Hire Dodgers 3rd Base Coach Chris Woodward As Manager
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBS SPORTS) - Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward will reportedly take over as manager of the Texas Rangers. Jon Morosi confirms the original report of Bob Nightengale.
Last season, the Rangers lost 95 games and finished in last place in the AL West under Jeff Banister and interim Don Wakamatsu, who managed the team for the final 10 games of the regular season.
It was the second-straight losing campaign for Texas after winning back-to-back division titles under Banister in 2015 and 2016.
Woodward, 42, spent 12 seasons in the majors as an infielder, mostly with the Blue Jays, after being drafted as a long shot in the 54th round.
After his playing days, Woodward worked for the Mariners as a minor-league infield coordinator and infield coach. He's served as the Dodgers' third base coach since the start of the 2016 season.
Woodward also managed New Zealand during the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifying rounds. The Dodgers won consecutive National League pennants while Woodward was part of the coaching staff.
With Texas, Woodward stands to take over a team that doesn't profile as a contender in 2019 but does have some compelling young talent on the roster such as Nomar Mazara, Rougned Odor, Joey Gallo, Willie Calhoun, Ronald Guzman and Jurickson Profar.
