Rangers boot Banister with 10 games left
In midst of one of worst seasons, manager pays the price with his job.
ARLINGTON — Manager Jeff Banister was fired Friday morning ahead of the Texas Rangers’ final home series and with 10 games remaining in what could be one of the worst seasons in club history.
Bench coach Don Wakamatsu will serve as interim manager for the rest of the season, which will end Sept. 30 at Seattle.
“I informed Jeff Banister of our decision earlier today,” General Manager Jon Daniels said in a statement.
“This was not an easy decision and comes after a long period of evaluation. However, we feel that a change in the leadership is necessary as we move forward. Once this conclusion was reached, I felt it was appropriate to make the move now.”
Wins and losses were not the
main cause for the Rangers deciding to end his tenure after nearly four seasons. The Star-Telegram reported Thursday, citing multiple sources, that club officials were questioning whether he was part of the long-range rebuilding plan.
The sources said a rift between the players and the manager, rooted in poor communication, had developed — not just this season but in past campaigns. The players also had become convinced that their interests weren’t Banister’s No. 1 interest, according to the sources.
“We had some great times here, but it doesn’t last forever,” Banister said. “Certainly I am disappointed that I was not able to finish the job.”
Banister was hired after the 2014 season to replace Ron Washington, who resigned abruptly in September. The Rangers won the American League West title in Banister’s first season, rallying past the Houston Astros and seizing on Banister’s “never, ever quit” mantra.
He was selected as the AL Manager of the Year.
The Rangers repeated as West champs in 2016 and had the league’s best record, but for the second straight season they were ousted from the AL Division Series by the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Rangers’ AL West reign ended last season, though they weren’t eliminated from postseason contention until the final week of the season.
They entered this season with a reduced payroll, and a lot needed to go right for them to contend. Things went south quickly, with injuries a contributing factor, and by June the Rangers were fully engaged in “development” mode, Daniels said.
But the player-manager relationship had deteriorated in each of Banister’s seasons. To illustrate that, two sources said that a group text message circulated shortly after the Rangers picked up Banister’s option for 2019.
A group of players had voiced concerns about Banister with Daniels before the season ended and had anticipated a change.
“There are times when you’re looking for a new voice, and the new voice for the leadership,” Daniels said. “Jeff did a very good job for us.”