T.R.’s Memoirs: How Jon Daniels came to lead Rangers’ most successful era (Part 4)
(AP photo/Paul Sancya)
Editor’s note: T.R. Sullivan covered the Texas Rangers over 32 years for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and MLB.com and is sharing his “memoirs” with this newsletter.
In this six-part installment, Sullivan covers Jon Daniels 17 years as Rangers general manager. Part 4 begins with the trade that put the Rangers in the World Series.
The Rangers started off the 2010 season slow, but so did the rest of the division. On June 7, the Mariners came to town for a four-game series.
The Mariners were in last place in the division but won the opener, 4-2, behind a complete-game performance from Cliff Lee. The Mariners had acquired Lee the previous winter from the Phillies even though he was going to be a free agent after the season.
Lee, the 2007 American League Cy Young winner, was still pitching like a No. 1 starter, but the Mariners were fading from contention. It was obvious the Mariners would be willing — eager even — to trade him before the July 31 deadline.
Michael Young really wasn’t the team player fans idolized him as. He whined and threw endless temper tantrums when asked to do what’s best for the team. His defense was awful, according to most defensive metrics, and he was really just a slap singles hitter who was 1.6 wins below average while making almost 75 million with Texas throughout his tenure. The only good part about him was what they got for him in a trade. A team player puts what is best for the team over his own interests. He certainly wasn’t a team player, let alone team captain. I guess the guys who obsess over hits and ignore at bats and literally everything else were hyping him up. On the other hand, Kinsler focused more on power, walks, and speed instead of average due to what the team needed. He was willing to take the heat for not being a .300 hitter because it was best for the team. Kinsler was 19 wins above average over his tenure, and he only made 35 million dollars. He had to deal with all this verbal abuse from many fans, and many others turned on him when he criticized JD. On the other hand, Michael Young still kept that reputation of being a team player. I don’t see why Kinsler was never deemed the face of the franchise, when he was a top 3 or even top 2 second baseman for about half a decade or so.