Texas Rangers Interested In Signing Another Former Bruce Bochy Pupil

The Texas Rangers may have interest in signing another former San Francisco player who worked under Bruce Bochy.

Last season, a player from Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy’s past helped the franchise win its first World Series. Could the Rangers bring back another Bochy disciple this season?

ESPN reported that the Rangers have held “internal conversations” about pushing to sign free-agent Brandon Belt, who broke in with the San Francisco Giants and played under Bochy for the first nine seasons of his career.

Belt, entering his age-36 season, played in 103 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023 and batted .254 with 19 home runs and 43 RBI. It was a bounce-back season after 2022, his last year in San Francisco when he batted .213 with eight homers and 23 RBI. His struggles in 2022 were due in part to knee issues.

Belt has primarily played first base throughout his career, with some playing time in the corner outfield positions. Last season was the first when he played more games at designated hitter (69) than first base (29).

Belt would likely be used as Nathaniel Lowe’s first-base backup and as designated hitter. During Rangers Fan Fest on Saturday, general manager Chris Young said the team intended to use the DH spot to get regulars rest during the season.

Belt won a pair of World Series titles with Bochy in 2012 and 2014. He’s also a Texas native, born in Nacogdoches, attended Hudson High School near Lufkin and played at UT-Austin before the Giants made him a fifth-round pick in 2009.

Belt was a 2016 All-Star and finished in the Top 20 in MVP voting in 2020. He has a career .261 batting average, 194 home runs and 697 RBI.

The Rangers signed reliever Will Smith during spring training a year ago, Smith played for Bochy for three seasons in San Francisco, including his only All-Star season in 2019. Smith saved 22 games for the Rangers in the regular season and was part of a World Series champion for the third straight season. He was with Atlanta in 2021 and Houston in 2022.

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