Rangers Notes: Banister Named A.L. Manager of the Year

The Rangers’ Jeff Banister helped engineer a 21-game turnaround over last year and led Texas back into the playoffs.

Following an unexpectedly successful first season at the helm, Jeff Banister was named the American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday by the BBWAA.

Banister had been one of three finalists for the award, along with Houston’s A.J. Hinch and Minnesota’s Paul Molitor.

“All the things that I’ve been through in my lifetime – and there were a lot of times that I asked why – well there were times this year that I knew exactly why,” Banister said.

“It was so that I could give another group of people some thoughts, some ideas, some toughness and some motivation to continue to press forward.”

The 51-year-old Banister spent his entire big-league career within the Pirates’ organization before he was brought to Texas last winter, inheriting a last-place ballclub that had plenty of questions marks and little hope for the immediate future.

Expectations were dimmed even further in spring training when it was announced that No. 1 starter Yu Darvish would undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire season.

But Banister maintained a steely resolve and kept his team focused, even after a poor start that saw the Rangers lose 16 of their first 24 games and fall nearly 10 games out of first place.

Texas slowly climbed back into contention over the summer and captured the A.L. West title on the final day of the season, an accomplishment few (if any) could have envisioned after the disheartening 2014 campaign.

“To be able to have this in year one – tremendous,” Banister said.

“But it means that we had a group of players that went out every single day, they showed up, they played well, they beat back some odds, they were resilient, they showed some grit and played together and really, truly played for each other on a nightly basis, and I was most proud of that.”

Banister is the third Texas skipper to win the A.L. Manager of the Year award following Johnny Oates (1996) and Buck Showalter (2004).

Rangers Send Martin to Seattle

Outfielder Leonys Martin was traded to the Mariners on Monday as part of a five-player deal that brought right-handed reliever Tom Wilhelmsen to Texas.

The Rangers also sent right-hander Anthony Bass to Seattle in the trade while the Mariners included outfielder James Jones and a player to be named later as part of the return package.

Martin reportedly fell out of favor with the organization last month when he failed to report to the Arizona Instructional League as the team had requested.

The 27-year-old Cuban was the Rangers’ Opening Day center fielder each of the last three seasons, but he was stripped of his starting job in 2015 due to injuries and the emergence of Delino DeShields.

Wilhelmsen, 31, is expected to strengthen the back end of a Texas bullpen that already includes Jake Diekman, Sam Dyson, Keone Kela and Shawn Tolleson.

Brocail, Iapoce Join Banister’s Staff

Former Rangers reliever Doug Brocail was named the new Texas pitching coach earlier this month while newcomer Anthony Iapoce was brought over from the Cubs to serve as the team’s hitting coach.

In addition, Justin Mashore was announced as the new assistant hitting coach and Brad Holman as bullpen coach.

“Each one of these coaches has a specific skillset and area of expertise, but they are also well-versed in the game of baseball,” Jeff Banister said.

“With a 25-man roster, as well as having a turnover of players, you need not only specific position coaches but coaches who can reach across and help each other, and have the ability to give our players the best chance of succeeding in their development.”

Fielder Completes Comeback Crown

Having already collected a comeback award from The Sporting News, first baseman/designated hitter Prince Fielder was named the American League Comeback Player of the Year on Nov. 5 by Major League Baseball.

Four days later, he picked up A.L. Comeback Player of the Year honors from the MLB Players Association.

After undergoing season-ending neck surgery in May 2014, Fielder rebounded this year to play in 158 games and lead the team in hits (187), runs batted in (98) and OPS (.841).

Ron Washington Steps Down as Rangers Manager

Ron Washington led Texas to its only two World Series berths in 2010 and 2011.

Ron Washington, the most successful manager in Rangers franchise history, unexpectedly resigned Friday from the post he had held for nearly eight years.

Washington, 62, cited “an off-the-field personal matter” as the reason behind his sudden resignation, which leaves bench coach Tim Bogar as the interim Texas skipper.

“As painful as it is, stepping away from the game is what’s best for me and my family,” Washington said in a statement released by the team. “I deeply regret that I’ve let down the Rangers organization and our great fans.

“Over the past eight seasons, it’s been a privilege to be part of some of the best years in club history and I will always be grateful for the opportunities I’ve had here, and for the great management, players, and coaches who have made our time here a success. Thank you for respecting my privacy.”

No further details were offered from Washington or general manager Jon Daniels, who addressed the situation in a press conference Friday afternoon with owners Ray Davis and Bob Simpson.

“While we’re disappointed,” Daniels said, “we accept Ron’s decision and are grateful to him, personally and professionally, for his contributions to the organization and the community in what has been really a record-setting and historic eight-year run as manager of the club.

“A lot of firsts, a lot of records, a lot of tremendous moments … together as an organization and a fan base, and we’re very, very grateful and thankful for all those things.”

Washington was named the 17th full-time manager in team history on Nov. 6, 2006, after Buck Showalter had been fired the previous month.

Inheriting a ballclub that had finished no higher than third place in A.L. West in almost a decade (and would finish last in his debut season), Washington helped to spark a gradual turnaround that saw the team increase its win total over each of the next four years, culminating in a franchise-best 96-66 mark in 2011.

Under Washington’s management, Texas made its first two World Series appearances in 2010 and ’11, only to be defeated by the National League’s San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively.

While the Rangers tailed off but remained competitive over the next two years, the 2014 season has been a disappointing series of bad breaks and poor performances, and Texas has now held the worst record in baseball (53-87) for more than two months.

Washington departs as the franchise’s all-time leader in a number of managerial categories, including games (1,278), regular-season wins (665) and postseason victories (18).

Holland Impressive in Return to Mound

The first key injury of this dreadful season came in January when southpaw Derek Holland tripped over his dog at home and sustained torn cartilage and other damage in his left knee.

Holland finally made his 2014 debut last Tuesday in Kansas City, and he pitched well despite receiving a no-decision in the Rangers’ 2-1 defeat. Across seven innings of work, he gave up one run on six hits with six strikeouts before Michael Kirkman allowed the go-ahead run to score in the eighth.

Tuesday marked the second of eight consecutive losses endured by Texas over the last 10 days, dropping the Rangers – the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention this year – 33.5 games behind the division-leading Angels.

Texas was able to snap its skid in Holland’s second appearance, however, as he outdueled Seattle lefty James Paxton en route to a 1-0 win Sunday at Globe Life Park, with Shawn Tolleson and Neftali Feliz each tossing a shutout inning to preserve the victory.

Roster Additions Abound with September Call-Ups

In order to make room for Holland on the active roster (as well as for Robbie Ross, who made a spot start in place of Miles Mikolas last week), right-hander Nick Tepesch was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock and first baseman Mike Carp was designated for assignment on Aug. 29.

Tepesch was recalled from Round Rock when rosters expanded just a few days later, as were pitchers Lisalverto Bonilla and Michael Kirkman and infielder Luis Sardinas.

The Rangers then selected the contract of reliever Spencer Patton from Triple-A on Thursday, and on Sunday veteran infielder Guilder Rodriguez had his contract purchased from Double-A Frisco.

On a dubious historical footnote, Derek Holland became the 60th different player to appear in a game for Texas this year, establishing a new big-league record for most players used by one team in a single season.

Rangers Notes: Washington Given Two-Year Extension

Ron Washington has the highest winning percentage (.527) of any skipper with at least 300 games managed in Texas Rangers history.

Having led Texas to the first two World Series appearances in franchise history, manager Ron Washington was signed to a two-year contract extension Monday that will keep him in the Rangers’ dugout through the 2014 season.

Washington, entering his sixth year as Texas’s skipper, has increased the club’s win total in each of the last four seasons, from 79 in 2008 to a team-record 96 in 2011. He has also guided the Rangers to back-to-back playoff berths and subsequent American League pennants, joining the late Johnny Oates as the only managers in club history to win A.L. West division titles with Texas.

“I knew that through time things would fall into place … And things have certainly done that,” Washington told ESPN Dallas. “I think what causes improvement is dealing with the fact that you don’t know everything. I always try to tell that to my players.

“I’m open-minded. I’m willing to learn and willing to say I’m wrong,” he said. “I’ve gained a lot of experience in this game from a lot of people and I try to use those experiences to get better.”

The 59-year-old Washington, a New Orleans native, has managed 810 games from the Rangers’ dugout, trailing only Oates (983) and Bobby Valentine (1,186) for the most in team history. Washington’s 427 wins as Texas manager place him third behind Oates (506) and Valentine (581) in that category as well.

Washington became the Rangers’ 17^th full-time manager when he was hired on Nov. 6, 2006, succeeding Buck Showalter as the Texas skipper. Only five current big-league managers have been at the helm of their respective clubs longer than him — the Twins’ Ron Gardenhire, the Tigers’ Jim Leyland, the Rays’ Joe Maddon, the Phillies’ Charlie Manuel and the Angels’ Mike Scioscia.

Hamilton Admits to Alcohol Relapse

All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton admitted Friday that he had suffered a recent setback in his continuing struggle against alcohol and drug abuse, reportedly consuming several drinks at a Dallas establishment on Monday.

Hamilton, the 2010 American League Most Valuable Player, watched his longtime “accountability partner” depart last month as Johnny Narron was named the Milwaukee Brewers’ new hitting coach.

Michael Dean Chadwick, Hamilton’s father-in-law, had been hired to fill the vacancy in early January, only to step down due to “family considerations” less than two weeks later.

“I feel terrible about this, [I] let a lot of people down,” Hamilton said at a press conference Friday at Rangers Ballpark. “The last four days I really beat myself up. There’s nobody that feels worse than I do.”

“It was just wrong,” he continued. “That’s all it comes down to. I need to be responsible, period, and I was not responsible. Those actions hurt a lot of people who are very close to me.”

This marks the second time in Hamilton’s stint with Texas that he has publicly acknowledged hitting a roadblock on his quest for sobriety. In August 2009, photos surfaced of an intoxicated Hamilton drinking and partying at a bar in Tempe, Ariz., the previous January.

Outfielder Hudson Inks Minor-League Deal

The Rangers bolstered their stable of speedy outfielders last weekend when they signed 25-year-old Kyle Hudson to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to big-league Spring Training camp.

Hudson, a fourth-round pick by Baltimore in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, had been designated for assignment by the Orioles on Jan. 13, then given his release six days later.

In 68 games with Triple-A Norfolk last season, Hudson batted .298 with 26 stolen bases, 33 walks and 39 runs scored.