Texas Rangers to hire Jeff Banister as manager; What does that mean for the Angels?

Earlier today, multiple reports came out that Pittsburgh Pirates bench coach, Jeff Banister, would soon be named the Texas Rangers manager.

Banister has been in baseball for what will be 30 years in 2015. He has managed at the Minor League level in the early to late 90’s as low as the rookie league. He was then the Pirates Major League Field Coordinator in the early 2000’s and followed that up by being transferred to be the Minor League Field Coordinator through the rest of the 2000’s in the Pirates organization. From 2010 to 2014 he was the bench coach under manager Clint Hurdle.

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As you can see Banister has been almost everywhere you can be in baseball. He has a good background with the Pirates organization in advanced metrics that he will bring with him to Texas. He won’t have the same scouts as he did in Pittsburgh and it will take a little while to get exactly what he wants in a Minor League system, but the Rangers already have a pretty solid organization below the parent club.

Who knows how long Banister will last in Texas after Ron Washington was there almost a decade, but one thing is for sure the Angels will have a threat in the Texas Rangers. The team will be healthier in 2015 and should be back to contending for a division title. The American League West looks to be one of the most competitive divisions in the league.

The Angels will have their hands full with the Rangers and Mike Scioscia will have to be a great manager late in the game. In recent years Scioscia has been criticized to some degree about the way he manages and Banister is coming from a great organization.

It will be key to watch early in the season how the Rangers players react to a new manager in the clubhouse and how that will affect their competitiveness within the division. If Banister can be taken advantage of in any way possible, the Angels will need to do that early on. Look for the Angels organization to get better this offseason in order to stay atop the AL West, and stay in front of their division rival Rangers in the standings.