Rangers Manager Profile

Chris Woodward Manager Profile Texas Rangers

Chris Woodward begins his second season as manager of the Texas Rangers this spring. He guided the club to a 78-84 record in 2019, an improvement of 11 victories from 2018 that tied for the third highest increase among Major League teams year over year.

The 78 victories marked the second highest total in a Texas manager’s first full season of the past six Rangers’ full-time skippers. Woodward’s first regular season victory on March 28, 2019 against the Chicago Cubs came at the age of 42 years, 277 days, the youngest Texas manager at the time of his first win with the club since Kevin Kennedy (38 years, 335 days) on April 5, 1993 at Baltimore.

Woodward was officially announced as the 19th full-time manager in Texas Rangers history on November 3, 2018. He received a three-year contract covering 2019-2021 that included a club option for the 2022 season. Prior to joining the Rangers, Woodward spent three seasons as third base and infield coach on Dave Roberts’ staff with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that span, the Dodgers compiled a .589 (287-200) regular season winning percentage while capturing the N.L. West Division title all three seasons, advancing to the World Series in 2017 and 2018.

Woodward was the first base and infield coach for the Seattle Mariners in 2014-15. He began his coaching career as Seattle’s minor league infield coordinator in 2013 and was promoted to the Major League staff late in that season. He started 2014 as Seattle’s infield coach before assuming first base coaching duties early in the season. Woodward managed New Zealand in the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualification tournament in Australia in 2016 with a 1-2 record. He was a coach for the New Zealand squad in the 2013 WBC qualification.

The former infielder spent all or parts of 12 seasons in the Majors with Toronto (1999- 2004; 2011); New York Mets (2005-06); Atlanta (2007); Seattle (2009-10), and Boston (2009), hitting .239 with 33 homers and 191 RBI in 659 games. He played every position except pitcher and catcher in his MLB career. Woodward made his Major League debut with the Jays on June 7, 1999 at New York-NL in Shea Stadium, posting a sac fly in his first plate appearance and an RBI single off Orel Hershiser in his first at-bat. He spent much

of the 2002-04 seasons as Toronto’s starting shortstop, including Opening Day starts in 2003 and 2004 and hit a career-high three home runs on August 7, 2002 vs. Seattle, the lone multi-homer game of his career, becoming the 15th shortstop in MLB history to hit 3 HR in a game.

The right-handed batter hit .276 with 13 homers and 45 RBI with the Blue Jays in 2002 and .261 in a career-best 104 games the following season. He split time between the majors and minors from 2009-11 and concluded his pro career with Triple-A Las Vegas in the Toronto organization in 2012. Woodward was selected by Toronto in the 54th round of the 1994 MLB Draft and signed by Blue Jays scout Bill Moore.

He starred in baseball at Northview High School in Covina, CA, where he also played football, and earned All-League, All-Valley, second team All-CIF and team MVP honors in baseball. Woodward then attended Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA, where he was named all-conference.

He was born in Covina, CA, the same hometown as Rangers Baseball Hall of Famer Michael Young, and the pair knew each other and lived in close proximity at one point during childhood. Woodward now lives in Chandler, AZ with his wife Erin and three children: daughter Sophie and sons Mason and Grady. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in business management from the University of Phoenix in 2012.