ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers have hired Donnie Ecker as their bench coach and also offensive coordinator, a role in which he will oversee the organization's overall hitting program at both the major and minor league levels.
Texas is coming off a 102-loss season and ranked 29th in the majors with a .232 team batting average. The Rangers were last with a .670 OPS, and their American League-low 625 runs were 34 fewer than the Baltimore Orioles.
Ecker was introduced Monday as the replacement for bench coach Don Wakamatsu, who was not retained after the season.