Texas Rangers Coach and Dog Walk Away From Dallas House Fire Unharmed.
Donnie Ecker, the bench coach for the Texas Rangers, escaped a house fire on Saturday. Ecker thanked Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel on social media for their prompt efforts in putting out the one-alarm fire.
“Yesterday was one of those situations you never think will happen to you,” Ecker said in a social media post on Sunday morning. “Even though I lost the house, they managed to contain the fire and protect the safety of every neighbor.” It is quite amazing to witness a group of men and women enter a house without reluctance and carry out the necessary tasks.
According to a Dallas Fire-Rescue spokeswoman, the fire on the 8500 block of Ridgelea Street near Love Field started in the chimney wall and was unintentional, as reported by the Dallas Morning News.
“Dog is good, I’m good and everything else can be replaced,” Ecker wrote on X.
Since 2022, Ecker, 37, has been a member of the Rangers. In addition to serving as bench coach, Ecker oversees offensive operations for a team that won its first World Series after leading the American League in runs, batting average, home runs (tied with the Twins), and on-base percentage.
Arizona Fall League Pitching Prospect for the Texas Rangers Displays MLB Potential
While the Texas Rangers haven’t had much luck when it comes to producing starting pitching, there is promise with the likes of Brock Porter, Jack Leiter, and Owen White being named among the system’s top eight prospects, per MLB.com.
However, there is another pitcher making waves who isn’t listed among the top 30 prospects. David Laurila of FanGraphs included Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa in his Sunday Notes column due to his success in the Arizona Fall League. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Dane Dunning and the Texas Rangers have reached an agreement on a one-year contract worth $3.325 million.
In 35 appearances, including 26 starts, the right-hander finished 12-7 in 2023. Dunning, who turned 29 this past month, finished his third major league season with the Rangers out of his four. With projected starters Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and Tyler Mahle all slated to return from surgery in June or July, he is anticipated to be a part of the Opening Day rotation.
The Texas Rangers are still building a strong roster of arms for the competition in spring training even though they haven’t yet acquired a well-known reliever this winter. Austin Pruitt, Shane Greene, and Jonathan Holder are the three right-handers who have recently entered the fight. In major league camp, each will compete for bullpen positions.
