“A Self-Made Coach”: How Chad Comer Got His Start in the Rangers’ Backyard
University of Texas at Arlington assistant coach Darin Thomas called a skinny freshman into his office shortly before the start of the 2007 season. A late offseason addition to a veteran roster, the local kid from Mansfield had gone through the wringer in his first year of college, warding off
University of Texas at Arlington assistant coach Darin Thomas called a skinny freshman into his office shortly before the start of the 2007 season. A late offseason addition to a veteran roster, the local kid from Mansfield had gone through the wringer in his first year of college, warding off mononucleosis and bronchitis; losing, not gaining, the “freshman 15.”
“You look tough,” quipped Thomas. “But it’s good... you’ve lost a lot of baby fat.”
Thomas then had the task of telling Chad Comer he wasn’t going to play much, if at all, in Comer’s first year at UTA. There were guys ahead of him who were soon going off to other things, and quite frankly, weren’t fully focused on college baseball. A rough year was ahead.
“It was an invaluable learning opportunity with a group that didn’t handle struggles well,” said Comer. “I saw how not to do things. It made me want to be a leader down the line.”
As the Mavericks scuffled to a 17-39 record, Comer spent the spring season traveling on road trips, catching bullpens and with pitching coach Jay Sirianni. Once next fall came around, he seized his opportunity. Comer went on to become a three-time all-Southland Conference honoree, the unquestioned anchor of UTA’s program until his graduation in 2010.
Copious amounts of film study and strict conditioning kept Comer ahead of the curve. Sometimes, he and Sirianni were the curve, experimenting to create catching drills, “90 percent” of which Sirianni, now the head coach at Sam Houston State, still uses to this day.
“He made himself into one of the best catchers I’ve had,” said Sirianni, who coached Astros’ 2024 first-round pick Walker Janek for three years. “Being a team guy, helping others improve, making himself into a productive player — it was fun to be a part of his career.”
“Jay and I really gelled well; we became an extension of one another,” said Comer. “Half the things I was bringing up to ask him, he was about to ask me.”
By the time he was a senior, Comer had the authority to call every single pitch of a game from behind the plate, a rarity in this age of college baseball. While the rest of UT-Arlington's catchers switched to a numbers system, where each pitch is signaled in from the dugout by a three-number sequence, he remained the outlier.
“He could always talk to a pitcher, fix issues, and call pitches to their strengths,” remembered Thomas. “They always respected the heck out of him because of how much he cared and how much he worked”
"[His teammates] had respect for him but they also had fear – they didn’t want to let him down,” said Sirianni. “He held the entire pitching staff accountable... I just stayed out of the way.”
Former Braves Minor League catcher Chad Comer has been named 2025 manager of the Hub City Spartanburgers. Comer has spent the past two seasons as manager of the Rangers’ Hickory Crawdads. The team will play in a new stadium in Spartanburg, S.C. (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images) pic.twitter.com/tG5NpWUQu8
— Tom Priddy (@tpriddy) January 7, 2025
After two years playing in the Braves minor league system, Comer returned home to Arlington. With a desire to get back to coaching, but unsure how to do so, he went back to Thomas, now the Mavs’ head coach, who didn’t have a job for him. At least, not directly.
"He told me ‘You can work with our catchers, but I can’t pay you,'” reminisced Comer. “’Or you can work on the grounds crew, make a little money, and help with practice.’”
After a year of tending to infields, UTA pitching coach Jon Wente got a call from the Rangers; they were looking for a younger minor league catching coach. Wente passed Comer's info always linked with the local college, they were hunting for a Comer's first coaching interview was with the team he grew up rooting for. The Mavericks played midweek games at then-Globe Life Park when the big-league club was on the road. Comer wouldn’t have to touch a rake this time around.
“Whether it was the grounds crew, putting yourself in front of people who could get him a job, or using UTA’s Rangers connections, he’s made himself into a self-made coach,” said Sirianni. “He’s had to work the same way he has as a player to get the best out of his career.”
About the Hub City Spartanburgers
The Hub City Spartanburgers, the High-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, will embark on their inaugural season in April 2025. The team’s home opener at Fifth Third Park is slated for April 15, 2025. For more information on the Spartanburgers, visit milb.com/hub-city. For information about tickets to any of Hub City’s 66 home games, call 864-658-4206 or email: tickets@hcspartanburgers.com For media inquiries, email: iunsworth@hcspartanburgers.com. Follow along with the Spartanburgers on social media.
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