Texas Rangers general manager Chris Young appeared on the GBag Nation show on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) to discuss the returns of Max Scherzer, Josh Jung, and more.

Here are some of the highlights, edited lightly for clarity.

What was your biggest takeaway from the first series sweep of the season?

Chris Young: Most importantly, I thought we showed signs of life from our offense. Really we strung together four or five straight games where we felt like we had really good quality of at-bats. We scored runs. We had timely hitting and certainly our pitching this this weekend with two back-to-back shutouts was outstanding. So I love the way we played. I love the way we competed. I think it’s something to build on. We’ve got a tough road trip ahead of us this week in Milwaukee and Baltimore. But I thought I saw signs of what we have to be successful. I’m hopeful it continues

What did you think about Max Scherzer’s debut and how is he feeling today? How will you manage his workload going forward?

Young: He said he’s feeling good, feeling normal. He said the next couple of days will determine kind of how he bounces back. He didn’t have a normal spring training. He didn’t even have a normal rehab, so to speak. We’re still learning a little bit how he’s going to recover how he’s going to bounce back. He’s still building up strength and endurance as well. So we are going to monitor him closely this week to make sure he recovers well.

But yesterday he was outstanding. It was so fun to watch him. I know that his stuff isn’t what it used to be in terms of when he was in the prime of his career. But watching him pitch and compete yesterday, it just felt like he was a step ahead of the hitters. It is really kind of a lost art in today’s game in terms of seeing a guy who could recognize swings, see what the opponent was trying to do and make adjustments on the fly. Despite the scouting report, it was vintage pitching.

The reality is [Max Scherzer] is 39 years old, he’s turning 40. I know how my body felt at 38 years old when I retired and every day was a challenge. He has kept himself in phenomenal shape. He’s really a freak when it comes to his recovery, the way he’s been able to recover from the surgery and the way he’s gone through his rehab. But we do have to be cognizant of the age and really that’s why we built the pitching staff that way we have. We have, at this point, a surplus of starters. We’re going to need them all. We’ve got starting pitching depth, assuming we stay healthy. It gives us some flexibility to be able to monitor Max, or the other guys, and build in extra rest or bullpen days or, even at some point, skip a start to keep them fresh and healthy throughout the year.

What have you seen from Wyatt Langford as he’s turned the corner and figured things out?

Young: I’ve seen a great aptitude from [Wyatt Langford] in terms of his ability to make adjustments. He obviously had a great spring training and then got off to a cold start here. But I think that should have been expected to some extent with how fast he got through the minor leagues and just adjusting to the quality of big league pitching. We’re seeing it all across the league, offense is down. The pitching in today’s game is so good, and to think that he was in college baseball last year. Now he’s seeing the best pitching in the world on a nightly basis, and you’re starting to see him make adjustments and really feel confident at the plate. The performance this month has really reflected that. It just shows what what a high aptitude Wyatt has for making adjustments, for learning how talented he is, and the hard work that he puts in. I think that the hitting coaches deserve some recognition here as well for identifying a couple things in his swing that have put him in a better position to really handle major league pitching. Collectively they’ve all done a great job, and we’re seeing the results of that.

Josh Smith has been great for the Rangers at third base in Josh Jung’s absence. What’s the plan when Jung returns from his injury?

Young: First of all, Josh Jung is probably not going to be able to play every day as he comes off this. This is a major surgery and to ask him to go out and play every day would be irresponsible. I think that Josh Smith will still get plenty of third base reps. I think that Josh Smith will see time at DH, he can play left field, center field, he can play shortstop, obviously we can spell [Corey Seager], or DH Corey Seager while Josh Smith plays shortstop. Josh Smith has played so well. He’s going to be in the lineup on a daily basis. Where that is position-wise, we’ll figure out. Bruce Bochy is brilliant at moving guys around and keeping guys fresh. We’ll figure out how to get all these guys in the lineup. But the reality is we need all of them going well together, at which point I feel like we’ll make a good run.

Find more Rangers coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Click or tap here to sign up for our Rangers newsletter.

Following a 36-24 season that included early exits from the Big 12 Tournament and the College Station Regional, Texas Longhorns head coach David Pierce was fired on Monday morning after eight seasons and a 297-162 record on the Forty Acres.

“CDC and I met after the season and we mutually agreed that the best thing for the program was to go in a different direction. It’s been an honor and privilege to lead this program for the last eight years. It certainly is a time I will always cherish as a coach, and I am so appreciative of The University of Texas for the opportunity,” Pierce said in a statement released by the school.

“Thank you to Longhorn Nation, the fan base, our support staff, student assistants and the media who covered us so well. I especially want to thank the coaches and our former and current players who helped us win a lot of games and represented our program in a first-class manner. Thank you all for your hard work, dedication and commitment to Texas Baseball. You will forever be in my heart, and I look forward to continuing to cheer you on in baseball and beyond.”

The decision by athletics director Chris Del Conte came more than three weeks after the season ended with a loss to Louisiana, a stretch that featured notable silence from Del Conte even though Pierce had only two years left on his contract with a buyout of $1.68 million.

“After the season, Coach Pierce and I had some time to visit about the year, the future of our program, where we are, and where we’re headed,” Del Conte said. “It was a difficult decision for us both, but we have mutually agreed that we should make a change. I am so grateful for Coach Pierce and all he has poured into our baseball program for the past eight years. He is an incredible person, and I’ve truly enjoyed my time working with him. I appreciate the passion, pride and steadfast commitment he had for coaching and working with our student-athletes and am thankful for all he’s done for Texas Athletics and our entire university community as our head coach. I wish Coach Pierce and his family the best in the future.”

A Houston native who played for the Cougars after two seasons at the junior college level, Pierce entered coaching in 1989, spending the next decade coaching at Houston-area high schools before becoming an assistant at his alma mater. After serving as an assistant under legendary Rice head coach Wayne Graham, Pierce became the head coach at Sam Houston in 2012, then moved on to Tulane in 2015, where he spent two years until Texas hired him to replace Augie Garrido in 2016.

In an uninspiring coaching search led by interim athletics director Mike Perrin, Pierce was the eventual choice after numerous other coaches signed contract extensions.

Following a rebuilding season under Pierce in 2017, Texas made an unexpected run to the College World Series in 2018 behind a spectacular season from Kody Clemens before collapsing in 2019, finishing last in the Big 12 and 26-26 overall.

Pierce steadied his tenure with a strong start in the COVID-shortened 2020 season and continued that success in 2021 with a 50-17 campaign that ended with a deep run in the College World Series stymied by Mississippi State, the eventual champions.

Facing massive expectations in 2022 with a preseason No. 1 ranking, the Longhorns struggled with a difficult schedule and the loss of budding star pitcher Tanner Witt to Tommy John surgery, tying for fifth in the conference with a 14-10 record. Texas did make it to the College World Series, but lost both games, prompting Pierce to revamp his coaching staff, firing pitching coach Sean Allen and moving assistant Philip Miller into an administrative role.

Although Texas tied for first place in the Big 12, Pierce won fewer games in 2023, a season that ended in heartbreaking fashion in the Palo Alto Super Regional when right fielder Dylan Campbell lost a fly ball in the lights at Sunken Diamond.

Pierce responded by making another change on his staff, dumping pitching coach Woody Williams after one season and taking over that role himself. But when the pitching staff struggled, including Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year Lebarron Johnson Jr., Texas limped to a 36-24 record, suffered embarrassing midweek losses to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTRGV, and then lost four of five games in the postseason, further signs of regression under Pierce, who also saw Miller depart the program during the season.

Without an assistant to scapegoat for the state of the Longhorns pitching staff, Pierce was left to take the fall himself.

According to the Houston Chronicle, an off-field altercation involving Pierce and one of his players contributed to Del Conte’s decision:

An ugly incident with one of his pitchers after Texas’ early exit from the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington led to Pierce’s visit before the school’s Human Resources department and likely sealed his fate.

The turnover on the coaching staff, Pierce’s lack of success in the NCAA transfer portal, and the looming move to the SEC, the nation’s best baseball conference, also factored into Pierce’s firing despite the three trips to the College World Series and three conference titles during his eight-year tenure at Texas.

Del Conte is expected to move quickly to hire Pierce’s replacement with the transfer portal open and the MLB Draft looming next month.