The Texas Rangers announced their 2016 big-league coaching staff on Thursday afternoon, replacing departed coaches Dave Magadan, Mike Maddux and Andy Hawkins, according to a release from the club.
Replacing Magadan as the team's hitting coach will be Special Assistant to Cubs GM Jed Hoyer Anthony Iapoce, who also served as the Cubs' minor league hitting coordinator and before that as a roving hitting instructor in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.
Magadan named Justin Mashore, the Triple-A Round Rock hitting coach as assistant hitting coach and Triple-A pitching coach Brad Holman as the Rangers' new bullpen coach, replacing longtimer Andy Hawkins.
Perhaps the most high-profile vacany was the newest one left by pitching coach Mike Maddux's departure, and that role has been filled by Doug Brocail, a former Rangers reliever who has spent the past few years in the Houston Astros organization.
Brocail was the Astros' pitching coach from 2011-2013 before serving as the Double-A Corpus Christi pitching coach this past season. Brocail also had a lot to do with player development in the Astros' organization, and as we all now know, the Astros have developed some pretty nice players.
