Woodward out as Ranger manager, per report

Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty ImagesThe Texas Rangers have fired manager Chris Woodward, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

This is surprising, to me, albeit not shocking. The Rangers were aiming to show improvement in 2022 after last year’s 60-102 finish, and with a $500 million investment in Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, as well as a four year deal for Jon Gray, the organization appeared to expect a .500 or better club in 2022.

Texas has played like a .500 club, in terms of run differential, but have been awful in one run games, with a 6-24 record on those contests. That is something that is generally a matter of random fluctuations, rather than reflective of anyone’s ability,…