Rangers players react to Banister firing: ‘It’s hard to make everybody happy’

Nobody wanted to talk about what happened on Friday.

At least not in any sort of detail.

Not the players, the general manager and not the new interim manger of the Texas Rangers.

On Thursday afternoon, multiple sources told the the Star-Telegram about the possibility that Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister could be fired.

Just after mid-day on Friday, a half-dozen or so hours before the team started its final three-game home series of this season against the Seattle Mariners, general manager Jon Daniels informed Banister that his dismissal had become a reality.

As massive rain showers intermittently drenched Globe Life Park, Daniels praised Banister for his contributions to the organization and spoke briefly about the decision, saying the club needed a “new voice” in the manager’s role. Without naming a list of candidates, Daniels also briefly touched on the future of the position and the franchise as a whole.

Don Wakamatsu, who will serve as the interim manager for the final 10 games of the regular season, took questions, too.

Neither individual went into any sort of specifics regarding the short and long-term future.

The players, by-and-large, took a similar approach when asked about their now ex-manager.

Sources told the Star-Telegram on Thursday that Banister had trouble effectively communicating with the players dating back to past seasons.

And that sentiment showed, albeit, subtly, as some of the team’s most prominent players spoke to reporters before the game.

“I didn’t have any problem with me, it’s just obviously, different players, different coaches have different ways of communicating and expressing what they want to do,” Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre said as he sat facing a large crowd of reporters by his locker. “But you know, I think whatever happens in this clubhouse is staying in here, I don’t want to give you any details on how things are going on, but I’m pretty sure different players had different opinions.”

Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who is typically soft-spoken, offered a similarly vague reaction to Banister’s dismissal.

“It’s hard to make everybody happy,” said outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. “Banny tried to communicate a (certain way) and some people like and some people don’t. It’s a hard job.”

The Rangers have struggled mightily this season.

Entering Friday night’s game, the team occupied last place in the American League West by a healthy margin with a record of 64-88. That mark is also good for the fifth worst record in the American League and the seventh worst record in all of baseball.

Despite how poorly things have gone on the field, the dugout and the clubhouse, the two veterans, along with catcher Robinson Chirinos, didn’t express anger or disrespect.

Banister has, after all, enjoyed his fair share of successes as the manager of this club. When he took over the position full-time in 2015, the team won the American League West. And Banister was named the American League manager of the year for his efforts.

But his teams were ousted from the ALDS that season and again in 2016 by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Things only soured from there as the franchise went into an open rebuild. At the end of the 2017 season, sources previously told the Star-Telegram that a group of players were “hot” that Banister’s option had been picked up for 2019.

Catcher Robinson Chirinos said he was “surprised” the decision to move on from Banister came down on Friday. Even Beltre, who is about to conclude his 21st season in major league baseball, said he “didn’t expect it to be today.”

But after the news of his potential demise became public on Thursday, it seemed to become a matter of if, not when his tenure with the team would end.

The timing of the announcement likely caught other players by surprise. Yet, the lack of full-throated defenses, deep gratitude for player’s growth or even fond reminiscing about teams that won division titles seemed to be thin. In some cases, those platitudes were just absent entirely.

“Okay, I mean obviously, it’s JD’s decision to deal with that part of our ballclub, and if he felt that’s what it was, that’s what it is,” Beltre said. “I think that our job as a player is just to follow the leader, and whoever he put as the manager, we’re going to follow, that’s the bottom line.”

This story was originally published September 21, 2018 at 6:27 PM.