JD I think this puts it in perspective:
For the record, I stated publicly only once that I thought Daniels should be fired. I'd like to think I was in the minority in this category.The Rangers, who'll meet the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night, are a monument to creativity, patience and front office teamwork.
Daniels drove most fans mad with those early trades. But in hindsight it didn't seem that long for him to turn it all around.
Crasnick details Daniels' early struggles and then the deal that changed everything (the day the young Daniels pantsed veteran GM John Schuerholz in the Mark Teixeira deal ... how good would Atlanta be today with Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz?).
The ultimate bottomline is that the Rangers are not in the playoffs (more or less the ALCS) without Jon Daniels.
He's probably the Executive of the Year. I would suggest for a three-year period, nobody in professional sports have had a better run. He's basically hit it out of the park in every facet of his job:
Hiring
Ron Washington, Scott Servais, Mike Maddux, Clint Hurdle and Thad Levine
No, he might not have hired all of these guys (hell, he could've fired a couple of them), but he kept them around. Crasnick notes the duality of Daniels' methodology not depending solely on scouts or stats, but combining the two to make good decisions. He also notes how Daniels invited all the scouts and development guys for an on-field recognition before Game 3. A class act.
Drafting
Tommy Hunter, Julio Borbon, Michael Kirkman, C.J. Wilson, Derek Holland, Mitch Moreland
A good way to replenish the farm system, every spring, take the best and brightest of America's high schools and colleges. And these are guys on the team today. Without Daniels' brilliant drafts, we don't have the talent to get Cliff Lee, Bengie Molina, Josh Hamilton or Jorge Cantu.
Latin America
Martin Perez, Alexi Ogando, Omar Beltre, Jurickson Profar, Tim Stanford
Many of the steps Daniels and Co. have made in Latin America and even in the Pacific Rim and Australia are not realized yet. Omar Beltre and Alexi Ogando are the biggest steps, and even their impact is not fully realized, although they are noticed. A bunch of kids are in the minors right now. A couple (like Martin Perez) could be seen in Arlington as soon as next year.
Trades
Josh Hamilton, Cliff Lee, Neftali Feliz, David Murphy, Elvis Andrus, Nellie Cruz
The man's turned this team over with some very salty trades. Would much rather have those guys than the guys we sent.
Free Agents
Vladimir Guerrero, Kenny Lofton, Eric Gagne, Milton Bradley, Colby Lewis
These low-risk/high-reward deals define Daniels' tenure. From the beginning, he found these veterans considered past their prime and offered them one-year, $5 million deals. Enough to get them to bite. Early on, he would use their good starts by sending them to contenders for prospects. Around the time of Bradley, he used them to get good. With Lewis and Guerrero, he used them to win a division.
Scrap Heap Finds
Darren O'Day, Andres Blanco, Matt Treanor, Marlon Byrd, Ramon Vasquez
It's uncanny the dudes Daniels and his scouting crew have found over the years that are either been useful or downright fantastic. I point to Byrd and O'Day with the latter. The Mets would kill to have O'Day back, who was basically left on waivers and the Rangers took the bait. The Phils had hopes for Byrd, but injuries ate up his time there.
Patience
Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton, Ron Washington, Chris Davis, Michael Young
Make all the moves you want, but if you don't have patience, you'll always keep turning over the next rock for the quick fix. Remember, Cruz and Davis were yo-yoed from the minors to majors several times. Cruz was placed on outright waivers. Still, they stuck with them and nurtured them and then pushed. Sink or swim, bitches. Furthermore, Daniels could've fired Washington or done something with Hamilton after his whipped cream incident. When Mike Young bitched about another year of rebuilding and a move to third, Daniels could've overreacted badly. With all the ownership issues and the team unable to buy balls for practice, Daniels might have packed it in and waited for the New York Mets job.
He didn't. Daniels was a better man than any of us and that is the reason the Rangers play tonight at 7 p.m. And it's why we're not general managers in Major League Baseball.
