Reasons The Rangers Of Jon Daniels Faded From Contention
Reasons The Rangers Of Jon Daniels Faded From Contention: On Wednesday, the Texas Rangers fired the longtime executive Jon Daniels and replaced him with Chris Woodward. Earlier this week, Chris Woodward, who was in his fourth year managing the Rangers, had been let go.
Daniels, who left the organization Wednesday on his 45th birthday, felt like a grain of sand on the beach in comparison to Woodward. Woodward’s tenure in Arlington felt fleeting, while Daniels’ lasted much longer.
Throughout Guy’s tenure, he has become synonymous with the Rangers in a way few other modern executives have. To wit, the only two surviving general managers to be hired by their current teams before 2010 are Brian Cashman (New York Yankees) and Mike Rizzo (Washington Nationals).
Jackie Daniels did not manage the Oakland As with Rickey Henderson and win a World Series title. However, he did shape the Rangers into a powerhouse, winning 90 or more games five times between 2010-16. At that point, their roster was “blessed with big league talent, an impressive farm system and a budget nearly anyone would envy”. With astute blog writers wondering “what trick or mishap may topple their dynasty”, Jackie Daniels’ success didn’t last long though, as misfortune would inevitably fall on even the good teams.
Texas has had a rough last few years. In recent seasons, they have struggled to remain relevant. A bold winter of spending money on top free agents Corey Seager and Marcus Semien has not changed their fortune..
With the benefit of hindsight, there were three main factors that led to the Texas Rangers’ downfall. One was a shake-up in the front office, with current GM Daniels eventually losing his job because of a feud with co-owner Nolan Ryan.
It’s difficult to identify what the root issues are that have led to the Rangers’ farm system producing fewer prospects than expected, but they could stem from poor drafting and development or teaching. Regardless of the cause, over the past 10 years, the effect for them was a farm system that didn’t produce as many quality players as it should have based off public analysis.
The Rangers selected Joey Gallo with their second first round pick in 2012. The Rangers’ 15 subsequent first-round picks have accumulated negative Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball-Reference’s calculations.
These are the Rangers picks that might not even qualify as a bust. Josh Jung, who had shoulder surgery and was in the top 10 of 2019’s draft, has struggled much to show through his résumé; Jack Leiter walked more than five men per nine innings in his first 18 starts and Kumar Rocker, who was a question mark at the beginning of the year, is still improving.
A decade ago, the Rangers had an amazing system of high caliber players, but they failed to see this talent. Jason Parks speculated that at the time, their prospects included Jurickson Profar, Mike Olt, Martín Pérez, Jorge Alfaro, Lewis Brinson, Nomar Mazara, Ronald Guzman and Joey Gallo.
Prospects can drag down your team, and the Rangers were certainly hit hard by their crop of players. However, some individuals were able to blossom into quality members of the team, such as Pérez and Gallo.
Some organizations experience more draft picks seeing early success than others. In general, there are many reasons why players drafted by a specific team struggle once they reach the big leagues.
The Rangers have enjoyed relative stability in the front office, with no new hires within ten years. The scouting director, Kip Fagg, has been in place since 2009 and Ross Fenstermaker is vice president of player development and international scouting. A.J. Preller and Thad Levine both graduated to the GM role.
The Rangers were in some ways benefited by their steadiness, but those who spoke with CBS Sports also theorized that it may have caused them to fall behind the curve as time passed and they became too confident.
The Rangers looked for new ways to shake up the front office this year with hiring Matt Blood, only to remove him after a season. Chris Young, long standing in the league office was also brought in as GM of the team. It is not clear if they are success or not though because they might have to pay a price in pitching prospects.
Reactions can be negative if changes happen too soon. Teams may feel like their ideas are not appreciated or that more time is needed to make new changes. Uncertainty and lack of control can make the process unenviable for teams and leave them wondering about decisions made.
Daniels’ leadership ability has been praised and he is well-liked by his bosses. He’s admired for taking a pay cut during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep as many workers at the Rangers, rather than making major layoffs like other teams. His ability to form close relationships with his own bosses also helps explain why he’s kept his role even when others have retired or taken new positions.
While results-based industries like baseball keep score, the one thing we shouldn’t overlook is the impact a leader can have on a team. Jason Daniels was a good and successful player, but he had failed to deliver in the most important way.
Daniels’ career could be seen as a success or could be seen as a failure. We struggle with fate and the decisions that are life changing. Sometimes things happen that we have no control over that change our lives. Daniels’ time in Texas is just one event in a long chain of randomness that shapes people’s lives on a daily basis.
One reason that organizations like civilizations fail is because they rely on a narrative that tells a simplified story. ‘Nobody lives forever, and eventually even the Roman Empire falls,’ Miller wrote in 2012.