Jon Daniels Is Putting His Own Legacy In Jeopardy
ARLINGTON (105.3 THE FAN) -- By letting Jackie Moore go, Jon Daniels is one step away from completely tarnishing his own history here with the Rangers.
Up until this point, he was regarded as arguably the most critical cog in the turnaround of this franchise. He helped steer the Rangers through their best days ever. And though there are arguments about who should receive more, there's no doubt that his legacy will be marred by PETTINESS if Texas isn't able to turn things around in the win column.
The problem with this current decision is that it's nearly impossible to pretend that it was motivated by anything other than JD's apparent need to rid the organization of guys who subscribe to the the Nolan Ryan and Ron Washington way of thinking...
- You can't pretend that it was a strategy issue. If that was the case, then wouldn't Wash be the guy on the chopping block, and not a first base coach? Jackie didn't decide to bunt with no outs and a runner on 2nd. Jackie didn't decide when to take a pitcher out of game. And its hard to hold Jackie accountable for all the blunders on the base paths either.
- You can't pretend that it was a clubhouse issue. By all accounts, everyone loved him. Derek Holland spoke very highly of him, calling him a mentor and saying he was someone he went to for advice. Ron Washington specifically told JD that he wanted to have his entire staff return next season. If there was any animosity towards Jackie in the clubhouse, it was extremely well hidden.
- You can't pretend that it was a fan issue. Fans weren't clamoring for someone's head following their first playoff-less season in 4 years. Most people understood that this team outperformed reasonable expectations coming into this season, so it wasn't as if there was pressure from outside the organization to make a change for change's sake.
- And...You can't pretend that it WASN'T an ego issue. Make no mistake...This is a warning shot to Ron Washington, if not an all out assault. But it also serves as a effort to divert attention away from the real issue with this team this season...they simply didn't have the horses to compete.
- Did Wash or Nolan decide to sign Elvis to a new contract, promise Ian Kinsler he would not be moved from 2nd base, and demand that Jurickson Profar be on the major league roster, all in the SAME OFFSEASON? No. That's on JD.
- Did Wash or Nolan decide that a career .236 hitter against lefties was good enough to play every day at first base in an offensive-heavy American League? Maybe. But it was Jon Daniels who apparently felt so strongly that Mitch Moreland was ready that he provided nothing in insurance in case things didn't pan out.
- Did Wash or Nolan bring in AND overpay a washed up, broken down old man who was so uninvested in the team that he refused to celebrate a walk off with his teammates? You guessed it - another of JD's moves.
It's so painfully obvious that it's a move made out of spite that it actually hurts my baseball soul. Why ruin such a perfect situation just for the sake of the idea that your way was considered the 'right way'?
Even if Jon Daniels isn't responsible for all of the rumors about a power struggle that have come out over the past year, he is certainly aware of them. And if he's aware of them, then he certainly had to consider how a move like this would look in light of those facts, regardless of whether or not the two were related. After gauging that fact, to still go through with the firing of Jackie Moore, shows that Daniels is simply out to prove who's boss in this organization.
Some would say that an organization is best run when it is run by one voice. That's not always true (just ask Cowboys fans). The point is, Jon Daniels has given up on a scenario that afforded the Rangers the best of both worlds. And he's putting his own legacy on the line because of it.
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