The Sunday Read: Chris Woodward is taking heat from Rangers fans … and from himself
August 7, 2022
(AP photo/Reed Hoffmann)
ARLINGTON — No matter the decisions he makes in a Rangers game, win or lose, manager Chris Woodward is now the target of fed-up fans’ ire.
Hardened fans want him gone, immediately or at the end of the season. Even casual fans will ask about Woodward’s job security with the Rangers headed to a sixth straight losing season.
He has never had a winning season.
Yes, Woody’s life would be much better now if Daniels had not traded for Corey Kluber and we still had Clase in the pen? Agree with JD on assigning blame to himself. I would also leave Chris Young out of that, for now. However, you can’t have a one run record that is the worst in the past 125 years in all of Baseball without looking at the manager.
It’s the little things for me, specifically the defensive errors leading to a run or two. Their batting isn’t productive enough to overcome fielding errors. I’m talking everyone, that fly ball the other day by Garcia, Durban’s botched double play against the Orioles, Semien & Seager not turning the double play as I type this in the 6th again Chicago. It’s the little stuff like that that chaps my ass.
Besides Moore & Burke, I don’t have a lot of confidence in the bullpen. If I could have packaged up Martin, Leclerc & Garrett for a pallet of Powerade at the Trade Deadline, I would have. You pick the color.
Is all that on Woody? I don’t think so. Maybe the usage of Martin, again I don’t know what he sees in him, but as you stated he wasn’t exactly setup to win to begin with. I have 100% bought into the “process”. I understand ‘22 is another losing season with ‘23 & going forward for us to be competitive.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more fire from him on the field. Get on someone’s ass when they make a boneheaded play, argue with an umpire and get thrown out to fire up your guys, something like that.
Another fantastic article, Jeff.
Woody hasn’t had a team capable of winning anything. Last year’s squad was embarrassing. That said, everything would change for Woodward once he managed with some set of expectations. And this year it happened when the team hit .500 (twice ), then skidded off the road. Fair or not, his moves with certain pitchers and some breakdown in defensive play have fallen on him. He should be able to finish his contract because it’s tough to fire a manager mid-season and make a postseason run. If you don’t fire him this off-season, you have to let the guy finish in my opinion. So a fresh start next year with a new manager and a team expected to contend for a wild card spot makes sense to me. I won’t be sad about that. But then JD better produce a winner.
You only fire a manager for 2 things: losing the locker room like Bannister or gross incompetence and like Jeff says I have seen neither. Also remember that Woody has his job largely because of Michael Young so in his case that’s 3 things. Locker room, incompetence and losing the support of MY. I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
Is this a better roster than Woodward has had previously? It is.
Has there been an improvement as a result of the better roster? There has been.
For the pessimist the 1 run losses magnify the managers faults. To the optimist, those same losses tell us this team is very close to turning a corner.
Personally I just want to root for a team that’s fun to watch, that has a chance to win most nights, and who’s building toward something. This club, and this manager check all those boxes for me.