Rear view mirrors. 73 comments


The architect of success. The architect of failure. Jon Daniels is still running on fumes of past glory while riding a wave of failure.

 

According to Sportrac, which tracks this sort of thing, the Texas Rangers have the fourteenth largest payroll in baseball for 2018: $143,911,000 million.

For their money, the Rangers are not getting their money’s worth.

Look at the team Jon Daniels has assembled for nearly $144 million:

The Rangers have the third-worst team batting average in baseball. The second-worst starting rotation ERA. The offense has the most strikeouts in baseball. The Rangers have committed the most errors in the major leagues. They have the worst batting average with runners in scoring position. And the second-worst OPS in MLB.

That is failure in almost every avenue of the game.

Look at this starting staff Jon Daniels has assembled:

Martin Perez, 9.67 ERA, $6.00 million
Matt Moore, 7.88 ERA, $9.00 million
Mike Minor, 5.65 ERA, $8.33 million
Doug Fister, 4.50 ERA, $3.50 million
Bartolo Colon, 4.16 ERA, 1.75 million
Cole Hamels, 3.86 ERA, $20.00 million.

He spent nearly $22 million dollars in the off-season for the worst starting staff in the game. Not to mention the million dollars he wasted on Tim Lincecum.

For $144 million, he has a minor league system that is bankrupt of pitching talent and a major league team that is thirteen games under .500.

And he was given a contract extension.

We’ve seem this before. In 2014 this roster was in horrible shape. Daniels publicly admitted he left the roster “exposed” because he didn’t have enough pitching in the system to cover the team.

That was four years ago. Plenty of time to rebound and cover up that exposure.

This team’s offense is better than 2014, but the starting staff is much much worse. And any time you are splitting hairs comparing your team to the 2014 Texas Rangers, you are in a world of trouble.

The Rangers are back where they were in 2014. And he was given a contract extension. It seems the one thing this team doesn’t demand is accountability.

The argument in defense of Daniels is is always, Well he was the most successful GM in franchise history, look what he did for this team. That’s living in the rear view mirror.

Can you not make the same argument about, say, Josh Hamilton? Look what he did for this team. He may have had the best offensive season this franchise ever saw. So why is he not still a Ranger?

The Rangers just parted ways with Tim Lincecum. He was one of the most successful pitchers in baseball at the same time Jon Daniels was one of the most successful general managers in baseball. So why does he not get the same consideration for his past performance and forgiveness for his present failure?

Players skills deteriorate. Why can’t GMs’?

One was given his release. One was given a contract extension.

*****
TODAY’S GAME:

Bartolo Colon (3-3, 4.16) vs. TBD
Game time: 9:10

How the Dodgers hit against Colon.