Jon Daniels Has Been a Success in Texas

With the recent firing of Jeff Banister, some have been questioning whether Jon Daniels should still have his job, too. If you look at his track record, however, the answer is easy.

There is no shortage of Rangers fans calling for Jon Daniels’ job. It’s been the case for a while, and they got a little louder when the Rangers fired Jeff Banister in September. Complaints abound regarding roster construction, lack of postseason success, and a shortage of young prospects. But is this fair? Should Daniels be fired?

Whether or not you think Daniels should still be in charge of the Rangers’ roster is a matter of opinion. What is not, however, is his record as the general manager of the Texas Rangers. When you look at the body of work he’s put together, it’s clear Daniels is one of the most successful baseball executives in Major League Baseball in the last decade.

Daniels became the GM of the Rangers before the 2006 season. The following table shows every MLB franchise’s record since 2009. The reason I chose 2009 is because I wanted an even number to calculate, and 2009 to 2018 is ten seasons. I’ve also listed championships won. Take a look:

As you can see, the Rangers have been one of the successful franchises in MLB over the past ten years. This was all orchestrated under Daniels’ watch. Only the Yankees, Dodgers, Cardinals, and Red Sox have won more games in the last ten years. Just twice in the last decade have the Rangers entered September without the possibility of a playoff berth. It’s been an incredible run.

What more do you want, Rangers fans? Texas has been one of the most successful franchises in Major League Baseball since Jon Daniels took over as general manager of the team. Yes, a championship has eluded him and the Rangers during his tenure. But only one team wins the World Series every year. It’s an incredibly challenging accomplishment.

The point I’m trying to make is this–while Jon Daniels hasn’t won a World Series yet, he’s one of the most successful GMs in MLB right now. If you want him replaced, that’s fine. But who would replace him? The Cubs aren’t letting go of Theo Epstein. Same for the Yankees and Brian Cashman. Perhaps there’s an unknown GM who has what it takes to get the Rangers a ring. Unfortunately, you don’t know that for sure. Based on the chart above, Daniels is a known quantity. He knows how to build a winning baseball organization from the ground up.

Every year Daniels has been in charge of the Rangers they’ve come up short of a championship. But every year 28 other GMs have come up short of a ring, too. Winning the World Series is hard, and most of the time you fail. Jon Daniels has proven he knows how to put the Texas Rangers in contention for a championship every year, and deserves to be recognized as one of the elite GMs in Major League Baseball.