After the Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series, general manager Farhan Zaidi said there was a strong sentiment to return the following year with the game group.
Zaidi compared the situation to playing pickup basketball with a team you feel confident about. That feeling stretched to the coaching staff as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and the bulk of his coaches returned.
A turbulent season saw the Dodgers nonetheless return to the World Series, only to be defeated a second year in a row, this time by the Boston Red Sox in five games. And with that, the Dodgers are again experiencing turnover with their coaching staff.
Former third base and infield coach Chris Woodward was officially named manager of the Texas Rangers last week. With the advancement in his career, Woodward said it was easing the sadness that came with consecutive losses in the World Series, via T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com:
“This has taken away the sting of losing two in a row,” Woodward said. “Two World Series in a row. Rangers fans, I feel your pain, it’s real, I get it.”
As for being able to identify with his new fanbase, prior to the Dodgers, the Rangers were the last team to endure back-to-back losses in the World Series (2010 and 2011).
Although Woodward is now holding an MLB managerial position for the first time, he’s considered to be one of the game’s bright young minds who is capable of both connecting with players and implementing sabermetrics.
