Rangers Manager Banister On Fielder, DeShields Jr., Odor And Wilson
*The following are quotes from a daily press conference with Texas Rangers coach Jeff Banister at Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona. Writers comments in italics.
On if it is realistic to expect Prince Fielder to hit the ground running:
Banister: "It's been nine and a half months since the last time he swung the bat in a game competitively. More importantly, it's about his intent, conviction, and confidence."
"I want him to be the most confident hitter he can be day one."
"[He needs to] find that rhythm and timing—hitting is such an event that there is that rhythm & timing that is paramount so that you can hit what your eyes see and get a barrel to it."
Sandler: First off, you can add "intent, conviction, and confidence" to "adapt, improvise, and overcome" to the serial phrases Banister likes. They should have a game show where contestants get the pool of words from his phrases and they have to place them in the right group of three.
More importantly, though, he's right. Maybe it's unrealistic to expect Prince Fielder to explode in April, but there is a spotlight on him and fans will be uneasy if he gets off to a slow start. And, frankly, without being inside of Prince's head, I have to believe it would behoove him from a confidence standpoint to start strong.
On what he's seen so far out of Prince Fielder:
Banister: "I've seen a guy whose really enjoying being on the field again."
"I'm pleased and happy where I see Prince as far as his interaction on the field, how he's going about it, [and] the enjoyment he's having."
Sandler: This is paramount. Not everyone is wired equally, but I think the majority of us produce better in our professional environment when we are having fun doing it. Prince certainly believes he will benefit from a rejuvenated happiness. Watching him interact with teammates AND media, it is clear he is a different guy. It was like a major weight was lifted. Hopefully he can parlay that into some balls lifted over the Globe Life Park fences.
On what he's seen so far our of Delino DeShields Jr.:
Banister: "I've seen a player that's assimilated himself inside the clubhouse, trying to gain some confidence."
Sandler: Getting the sense that he belongs will be big for a guy whose never played above Double-A and hit only .236 in over 411 ABs at that level.
Banister: "I was impressed with the jumps that he had in the outfield…You can definitely see a skill-set there and that there are some tools."
Sandler: Banister specifically referenced three balls he tracked down during Sunday's intrasquad and the routes he took to get those balls.
The reality is that DeShields is a favorite to make the team and remain on the team throughout the year because of his status as a Rule 5 acquisition. The Rangers need him to give them something and the two obvious areas where they expect him to contribute are defense and base-running. If their move pays off, the Rangers expect more than just that out of him in the future, but if he can compete at the plate and do the other two well, he'll be a good addition for a team that is lacking a backup centerfielder.
On what a separating factor might be in some of the team's job competitions:
Banister: "Can you handle the process? Success can come in little pieces or success can be all in one day. Sometimes you have that competitive success in one day and you kind of exhale…Can you put each day behind you? Can you accept the challenges internally and not allow your teammates' success to be a distraction for you?"
Sandler: No, this doesn't cover whether the winning candidate can have equal success against righties or lefties or how many positions he can play, but it is still worth noting. Young guys can struggle in this area. A guy like Ryan Ludwick, for instance, who is a veteran and one with a great head on his shoulders, might have an advantage in that way.
On where Rougned Odor is in how he carries himself as a newly minted 21-year old:
Banister: "[Rougned] shows up everyday. He's here early everyday. He has a routine that he goes through that he's been pretty strict with. That's above-average for a 21-year old."
Sandler: On paper, "above-average" barely sounds like a compliment, but the way he said it came across way more complimentary.
Banister also referenced Odor's stoic reaction to getting the opportunity to hit 2nd in the batting order during Sunday's intrasquad. He noted that he was impressed by a young hitter's even-keel approach when getting that opportunity after spending most of last year hitting down in the order. Here was his actual breakdown by games played in the various batting order spots: 1st: 0, 2nd: 2, 3rd: 13, 4th: 0, 5th: 0, 6th: 3, 7th: 7, 8th: 30, 9th: 59
On if he is excited for Spring Training games to start:
Banister: "These are all fun and great but really, truly, the 27 outs on either side, that's what we do and that's what we're here for."
On Russell Wilson joining the Rangers for camp on Saturday, March 28:
Banister: "Anytime you can have a world class athlete in and around your athletes…He's done something each one of our players aspire to do and that's win a world championship…It's a big deal to me to be able to share experiences and leadership values."
Sandler: Methinks Wilson and Banister will get along very well. I wonder who would win a battle of inspirational one-liners?
