Jon Daniels Deserves Credit for the Texas Rangers Season

The Manager and His Coaches

This is the biggest decision of the offseason and was also the first one to be made. Texas parted ways with Jeff Banister in September of the 2018 season with the goal of finding a new “skipper” who fit the mold and identity the club wanted in the future. After interviewing both internal and external candidates, the Rangers hired LA Dodgers third base coach, Chris Woodward. Woodward was fresh off a World Series run with the Dodgers and was a name that was garnering managerial interest. He reportedly had interviewed with the Yankees in 2017 when their managerial spot was open but locked in a 3-year contract with Texas at the end of 2018.

Since joining Texas, opinions of Woodward have been positive with thoughts that his management and communication style mesh well with the players and the rest of the organization. So far, his in-game decisions have been more than respectable and he’s done a good job managing a lineup that can become a bit log-jammed at times.

Along with Woodward, Texas got a new pitching coach and a new hitting coach, as well as a slew of new assistants and analysts. This updated staff has done a great job maximizing the results of the players on the roster and we’ve seen some mainstays like Joey Gallo and Elvis Andrus, take some big steps forward. While the coaching staff definitely deserves credit for the work they’ve put in, we’d be remiss to not give some credit to Jon Daniels, who had a major part in these hiring decisions.