SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Skip Schumaker Era officially began on Tuesday as Rangers pitchers and catchers held their first workout to open Spring Training.
But for Skip, that means not too much of Skip.
Schumaker declined to address the pitchers and catchers, instead deferring to new pitching coach Jordan Tiegs, assistant pitching coach Dave Bush and the rest of the pitching staff.
“No, I want my pitching coach to be heard,” Schumaker said of Tiegs. “[I want] his voice to be heard. I thought that was super important for him to address the group -- with Bushy and Colby [Suggs, bullpen coach] there as well. I think it was really important for, not only the guys that have been here, but the new players as well, to get to know Jordan, and to figure out who he is and hear his voice.”
Schumaker joked that he -- a former outfielder and second baseman -- is not going to be teaching much about pitching. But he will be addressing the team as a whole on Sunday for the first full-squad workout.
While Tiegs and the pitching staff addressed players who are already in Surprise, Schumaker observed the day.
“I do that quite often,” he said. “I want my coaches to coach. I want their voices to be heard. If I need to go over the top and address something that I'm not happy about or something, then absolutely I will. But for right now, I want my coaches to coach and be heard. ... I don't ever want to be a micromanager, so I just let them do their thing and empower them to be really, really good at their job.”
That’s part of what made Schumaker the right manager for the Rangers. Though still young for a manager at 46, and with only two years of experience under his belt, he’s earned praise from all over for his ability to delegate and run a team by creating a culture of winning.
So while he hasn’t sat in the room and addressed the players as a whole just yet, Schumaker did speak with his own staff about how he wants his first camp with the Rangers to go.
“I think getting that initial meeting with my staff over with and making sure that they understand kind of where I'm coming from, and getting to know me [is huge],” Schumaker said. “There's a lot to be said about culture. I know that's been a big topic. I do feel like the relationships started months ago. But when you're in the grind with guys at 5:30 in the morning, and then five at night, that's what can be the separator.”
It’s cliche, but Schumaker emphasized that you can’t make the team the first week. Right now is about watching and observing, and for the coaches to do whatever they can in order to help the players succeed.
“Every player here is still evolving, still learning, still growing,” Schumaker said. “I don't want anybody here just to be here checking a box. That's not who I hired. That's not who I wanted as a coach.
“I think the last thing that you want to do in this industry is stand still like that. You cannot do that. I don't want any of our coaches to feel that they can't teach these guys, because even the best players in the world that are on our team are still wanting to figure out how they can become All-Stars.”