Former Texas Rangers Catcher Named Baltimore Orioles Bench Coach

This former Texas Rangers catcher has emerged as one of the fastest-rising stars in baseball coaching.

Aug 1, 2020; San Francisco, California, USA; Texas Rangers catcher Robinson Chirinos (61) smiles on the field at the end of the second inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Robinson Chirinos is just 40 years old and only two years removed from his MLB playing career.

Now, the former Texas Rangers catcher is the bench coach for the Baltimore Orioles, the team announced on Monday.

Chirinos finished his final Major League season with the Orioles, playing in 67 games and batting .179 with four home runs and 22 RBI as Adley Rutschman’s backup in 2022.

This will be his first coaching job. He replaces Fredi Gonzalez, who left the organization after five years on the big league staff (including three as bench coach). Orioles manager Brandon Hyde is entering his seventh season.

Bench coach is typically a pathway to managing a team. While not a bench coach with the Rangers, Will Venable was hired as an associate manager before the 2023 season as part of Bruce Bochy’s staff. He took over the Chicago White Sox last month.

Bochy was never a bench coach in the Majors. After his playing career ended, he was a minor-league coach and manager for four years and was promoted to third-base coach for the San Diego Padres before he took over for Jim Riggleman in 1995. At the time, he was 39 years old, one year younger than Chirinos.

Chirinos played seven of his 11-year MLB seasons with the Rangers, from 2013-18 and again in 2020. He had a slash line of .230/.322/.434/.756 with the Rangers, including 67 home runs and 199 RBI.

From 2017-19, the last of those seasons with the Houston Astros, he had 52 home runs and 161 RBI.

For his 11-year career he had a slash line of .226/.319/.419/.738 with 95 home runs and 306 RBI.

Chirinos, who was born in Venezuela, was an international free-agent signee of the Chicago Cubs in 2000. After a decade-long stint in that system, he was traded to Tampa Bay, where he made his MLB debut in 2011.

He joined the Rangers in 2013 via trade and served as A.J. Pierzynski’s backup.