Hurdle Describes Rangers’ Banister As ‘Blue Collar, Aggressive’ Manager

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ARLINGTON (105.3 THE FAN) – The announcement on Thursday that the Texas Rangers have hired Jeff Banister as the team’s next manager was met by one question from many: Who?

Clint Hurdle, former Rangers hitting coach and current manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, joined Shan & RJ Friday morning on 105.3 The Fan to answer that question.

Banister has been the bench coach for Hurdle’s Pirates since 2010. The two have helped transform the Pirates from a perennial NL Central bottom dweller to a perennial postseason team.

“This is a dig it out of the dirt, roll your sleeves up, blue collar, aggressive, humble man who models the behavior he wants to instill in others,” said Hurdle on Banister. “He’s prepared, has focus. His personal and professional experiences have prepared him for this opportunity.”

Clint Hurdle Joins Shan & RJ

105.3 The Fan

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(Photo by Justin K Aller/Getty Images)

Rangers fans have been accustomed to the managing style of Ron Washington since 2007. That managing style relies little on analytics and incorporates many “small ball” principles. Is Hurdle’s style similar?

“I think we need to give him the opportunity to paint his own picture,” said Hurdle.

“I know there are some staples of the game that he believes in. It starts off the mound; it backs up behind the plate. You play 27 outs and you find a way to score one more run than the other team.”

General Manager Jon Daniels went public in expressing his desire to bring in a “department head” — someone who is capable of connecting with players, talking through player acquisitions, and helping determine the overall direction of the franchise.

“He’ll be prepared. He’ll use his eyes. He’s use his ears and replay upon his coaching staff, the front office, the scouts and everybody to make the best decisions he can make for the organization.”

Coming into 2010, Hurdle says that he aimed to help grow and mentor Banister and help prepare him to lead a club of his own one day. Instead, Hurdle believes that Banister made him a better manager.

“After four years of spending time with him in uniform, watching his leadership skills, watching his coaching abilities — there was no doubt — he has presence. He has a passion for people and getting to know them outside of their skill sets.”

That style fit well in Pittsburgh, where their leadership program taught the staff to be “servants” to the players.

Daniels and the organization are said to have a soft spot for Hurdle, who served as the hitting coach during Texas’ 2010 World Series run. Texas might be getting a “piece” of Hurdle by hiring Banister, but they’re by no means getting the same person.

“We have a lot of common fabric. A lot of things we’ve worked on together for four years that we’ve really been connected — we’ve locked arms,” said Hurdle.

“We disagreed on a bunch too. The beautiful thing about it is, when we walked outside that door, we were locked arms. We were ready to go represent the Pirates and protect our brand. He’ll do that in Texas and he’ll do that for the Rangers.”

So how do you feel about the decision to hire Banister?

“I believe this is a very, very good fit for the fanbase, for the metroplex, for the organization, for the players, the coaches — everybody.”

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