The Texas Rangers made the move to fire Chris Woodward on Monday, in part, because the club didn’t overachieve in 2022.
Team president Jon Daniels spoke to the media on Monday after Woodward was let go after nearly four seasons and a 211-287 record.
Daniels said the Rangers were not under any delusions that this team was ready to challenge for a playoff berth this season. While he didn’t say it, the fan base was certainly teased just a bit at the end of May when the Rangers were .500, which was the first time they were at that mark that late in a season since 2019, which was Woodward’s first year.
But Daniels did say they were hoping to “overachieve” a little this season, and that he still has hope the team can with interim manager Tony Beasley.
Daniels clearly believes, however, that the Rangers are better than their record, which is 12 games under .500 going into Monday’s game with Oakland.
“We can be better than our record, and better than the way that we've played at times,” Daniels said.
Daniels told reporters that he and general manager Chris Young have to assume the responsibility for the roster. The Rangers spent a half-billion dollars to sign shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Marcus Semien last offseason. Through mid-August, they both look like good investments. The Rangers also scored with the signings of pitchers Jon Gray and Martín Pérez, the latter being a $4 million bargain.
But aside from Gray, who is injured, and Pérez, the rotation is a mess of young, inconsistent pitchers. The team’s defense and execution have been spotty at times, something Daniels alluded to on Monday, saying that how the team prepared, approached and executed games could have been “addressed differently.”
Daniels didn’t get into specifics. But he did praise Woodward as he handed the fourth-year manager his pink slip.
“He represented himself well on the field, with our fan base, in the community and with our players,” Daniels said. “He's represented us the organization with class and dignity in return. He brought unparalleled energy, passion, work ethic, genuine care for people. For the players he was the same person every day with everybody and had just a real positivity under what were really challenging circumstances. I have great appreciation and admiration for his work.”
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and Twitter.
More must-reads: