Bruce Bochy: A Legacy of Leadership and Championships
Learn about the current Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy, one of the most highly regarded managers in the history of the MLB.
Bruce Bochy was born April 16th, 1955 in France but grew up in Melbourne, Florida. He would go on to play catcher in the MLB for 3 different teams over his 9 year career, but his career as a manager is what most will remember him for. Entering his 28th year as an MLB manager at age 69 Bochy looks to add to his outstanding resume.
In this article you will learn more about the career of Bruce Bochy both as a player and a manager, and the legacy he has left on the game of baseball.
MLB Career
Bruce Bochy was drafted 24th overall in the 1st round of the 1975 supplemental draft by the Houston Astros. Bochy’s MLB debut came on July 19th, 1978 as the Astros starting catcher against the New York Mets. Bochy would spend two seasons with the Astros before being traded to the Mets in 1981. His tenure with the Mets would be short lived as he would be released by the team in 1983 after only appearing in 17 games.
A month after his release, Bruce would sign with the San Diego Padres, where he would spend the final five years of his MLB career. As a player Bochy was pretty underwhelming.
Appearing in 358 total games over his nine year career Bochy would put together a mediocre slash line of .239/.298/.388 and only accumulate a total of 2.3 WAR. (Bruce Bochy managerial record. Baseball. (n.d.). https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/bochybr01.shtml)
San Diego Padres Manager (1995-2006)
After spending 4 seasons managing in the Padres minor league system, Bochy was promoted to be the third-base coach for the Padres under manager Jim Riggleman in 1993. Just 2 years later, Bochy would take over as the San Diego Padres manager leading into the 1995 season. In 1996, just his second season as manager, Bochy led the Padres to a record of 91-71 and earned the honor of being named National League Manager of the Year. (Bruce Bochy managerial record. Baseball. (n.d.). https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/bochybr01.shtml)
The Padres would then go on to make their first World Series appearance under Bochy, second appearance all time, but would fall short after being swept by the New York Yankees in just 4 games. After their World Series appearance the Padres would go on to have five straight losing seasons until 2005 and 2006 when they would win back-to-back NL West titles.
After the 2006 season though Bochy was interviewed by the San Francisco Giants and would agree to a 3-year contract to become the club’s manager.
San Francisco Giants Manager (2007-2019)
The first few years as the Giants manager were underwhelming with 90+ losses in the 2007 and 2008 season, and still not making the playoffs in 2009. Bochy received another contract from the Giants after the 2009 season in which they barely missed the playoffs and 2010 is when everything changed. Led by the likes of Aubrey Huff, Buster Posey, Matt Cain, and Tim Lincecum, the Giants won the NL West for the first time since 2003 with a record of 92-70.
They would go on to defeat the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies to earn an appearance in the 2010 World Series against the Texas Rangers. In just five games the Giants would defeat the Rangers 4-1 in the series and Bruce Bochy had won his first World Series as a manager, and the first World Series in San Francisco since 1954.
Bruce Bochy would go on to win 2 more World Series with the Giants in 2012, by sweeping the Detroit Tigers in four games, and in 2014, by defeating the Kansas City Royals in a full seven game series. Bochy would continue to manage the Giants until the end of the 2019 season where he announced he would be retiring at the conclusion of the season.
Texas Rangers Manager (2023-Present)
During his short retirement Bochy continued watching Giants games and even managed Team France in the World Baseball Classic. As he started to miss the game more, one of his former pitchers, Chris Young, the Texas Rangers General Manager, gave him a call asking for him to become the new manager for the Texas Rangers. Bochy signed a three year contract with the Rangers and took over a star-studded roster with the likes of Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Jacob deGrom. In just his first season as the Rangers manager Bochy led the club to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Rangers would go on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, and in-state rival Houston Astros on their way to the World Series where they would defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games to claim the franchise’s first World Series title.
Bochy is entering his final year of his contract with the Rangers, but has shown no signs of wanting this to be the end. Currently 8th on the all time MLB managers wins list, the leading active manager with a total of 2171 wins, and four World Series titles, the future hall of famer looks to add to his legacy. (Bruce Bochy managerial record. Baseball. (n.d.). https://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/bochybr01.shtml)