The Texas Rangers are considering moving on from their manager Jeff Banister, according to a report from Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Banister, the 2015 AL Manager of the year, is currently under contract through the 2019 season after the club exercised his option immediately following the 2017 season.
Banister, 54, was brought on to manage the team prior to the 2015 season, his first at the helm of a major league club. After back-to-back AL West titles to begin his tenure, the Rangers have slumped to a 64-88 mark this season, 31 games back of the division-leading Astros, after a disappointing 2017 campaign.
Per Wilson, though, it’s Banister’s inconsistent, and at times inadequate, communication skills that may lead to his departure, and not the team’s recent performance on the field.
The article, well worth a full read for Rangers fans, details multiple reports of players relaying the perceived communication issues. Per Wilson, players will often arrive at the ballpark unsure of whether or not they’ll be playing that day, even if they’ve been previously assured of a day off. Starting pitchers, typically the most steadfast creatures of habit, are often not informed of when their next start will take place, and are thus confused as to how best to prepare.
With General Manager Jon Daniels comfortable embarking on a full-scale rebuild, what with his newly-inked contract in place, Wilson makes certain that the club’s manager of the future will be unilaterally committed to the development of young talent. So far Banister appears on board, but only time well tell if the front office feels the same.
It’s hard to ever know who’s really to blame when teams struggle. It seems like Banister is doing the best he can with what he has, and it’s not really his fault that the team has perhaps the worst rotation in baseball (and yes, they might be worse than Baltimore).
Yes please! So he can come back to Pittsburgh and eventually replace Hurdle. Things havent been the same since Banister left.
That job is going to Tom Prince or Cora.
Sometimes it’s easier to fire the manager than 25 players
It’s ALWAYS the manager getting the ax.
How Daniels still has a job is crazy.
Daniels still has a job because he built the team to two World Series and they sold there future trying to keep there window open and it just didn’t work out now there paying for it. They still are really good at geting talented players out of Latin America but their US drafts have been pretty bad lately
They have a lot of talent at the lower levels, They will be back.
Many would argue Nolan Ryan was more responsible for the past success.
probably more accurate as far as pitching goes ………….. Daniels did good once but that is it …………. once could be called lucky ……………… twice seems further away each year ………………… baseball is on it’s way out of here in a hand basket in so many ways ………….
Stop blaming Daniels. He is NOT and never has been the problem. Ownership and management (especiallly player development) have been the biggest failures.
Last I checked, the GM is responsible for who is over player development. Ownership just puts the money up. Daniels is completely is the problem. When he’s buying at the deadline he overpays, but when he’s selling, he undervalues every trade. Daniels is the biggest failure.
sign ’em for 5 and pay someone else to use them the last 2 ……….. no more long term contracts and no more going out of baseball business might could may be a bargain
Would be pretty harsh by the Rangers unless they thing Banister wouldn’t be on board with a rebuild. It takes a different type of manager to willingly put young players in high leverage situations to see what they have; most guys will want to play each game to win.
If true, communication lapses/issues with players are legitimate managerial concerns, unlike win-loss records which they have little control over on a yearly basis, so I’m guessing he’ll end up replaced.
When things go bad, the manager gets dumped. This is the way it is.
Michael Young for Manager!
Hell, no. MY has even worse communication skills.
He shouldn’t try to make so many players into utility players and stop shaking up the lineup for no apparent reason.
I agree. He goes way overboard with all of that.
Billy Ripken for manager.He would be a great teacher and I think a great guy to also be able to run a team when they start winning again. Him or Mike Redmond would enjoy watching him coach a team with talent and money behind him
If Banister is replaced, Iapoce and Brocail better be gone, too!
I keep wishing I’ll wake up one morning and brocail will have been fired. He’s incompetent.
I keep hearing Banny didn’t have the pitching but he did. He had Hamels, Darvish, Dyson, too many to name but he’s had pitching. He ran them off. Now he doesn’t have pitching.
HE ran them off? Geez…
Would love to see Jeff back in Pittsburgh in some capacity.
How’s the housing market? He could buy a house like McCutchen.
The next “Mike Matheny”? (Means long overdue)
That means I predict the Texas Rangers will improve substantially if/when Banister gets ousted. Don’t know who his hypothetical replacement would be; just assume would be addition by subtraction, in addition to better.
Bring Bobby V back!
This team needs some tough love.
Bobby V only loves himself, tough or otherwise.
I think Jeff Wilson was talking about Mets manager Mickey Callaway not Bannister
Flush him!
Communication issues like this are almost never a one-way, standalone problem. But, if the team culture has gotten to that point it’s probably time to clean house.
Regarding the statement of starting pitchers….if that part is true, and pitchers weren’t sure when they would start next, who’s really making that decision?
Think about it; if you pitch well, you will continue to start. If not, you run the risk of being bumped. Then you have to think the manager’s “lack of communication” is because the GM wants to tinker or have say on how and when pitchers will pitch and why. I’m sure it would be less of a headache for the manager to have a set starting 5 with a spot starter here and there.
Banister’s not a great manager. But the pitching decisions prior to games has to fall mostly on the GM in my opinion.
I see a Carlos Beltran in this team’s future….
Or Omar Vizquel
I like this one. Other than being a fan of him; someone who actually did his time cut his teeth managing and still managing in the minors.
Off-topic: Hope he makes the HOF