So the Orioles hired former Rangers manager Buck Showalter to be their new manager. Showalter, shown here on a 2003 Disabled American Veterans card, spent four years at the helm of the Rangers.Buck took over from Jerry Narron at the start of the 2003 season with Texas and lasted through the end of the 2006 season when he gave way to Ron Washington. During that tenure he was able to lay a lot of the groundwork for the Rangers current success.
When he makes his Orioles debut on Tuesday Showalter will be taking over a team that stands at 32-70 on the season, 33.5 games out of first in the American League East. That is a team in much worse shape than the Rangers were in when Buck stepped in. On top of that Baltimore is in a division with Boston, New York, and Tampa Bay. Could be a rough ride Buck but I wish you well. It would be nice to see the Birds get in a post-season appearance or two.
3 comments:
You really think Showalter "laid the groundwork"? I'm not sure he did any good here. Between Melvin and now Daniels, Hart did nothing but spin his wheels here. Once Hart, Showalter, and Hershiser left, then things began to get better with the minor leagues, etc. You might want to tap the brakes on Showalter. I see more failure for the O's with this move.
Thanks for the comment. Not sure that I endorsed the Orioles' move, just wished Showalter luck. Tapping the brakes on that would mean no post on the announcement at all and I had nothing else to post on.
Mark Teixeira says that he owes a lot of his early successes to the way Showalter handled him. Those successes allowed the Rangers to trade Money Man to the Braves and built a large part of the current team. Michael Young would have also come up under Showalter and I think it could be said that the way a manager handles a young player early in their career can either help or hinder.
Don't forget the Manager of the Year in 2004. I somehow doubt he got that for looks.
Showalter is starting to look like the managerial version of a set-up man. Teams bring him in to stabilize the team, and just as they're starting a real upward swing, they replace him. New York, Texas, I'm betting if Baltimore keeps him around for a couple of years, he'll have them back up around 2nd or 3rd in their division and they'll replace him with someone else who might get them back into the playoffs.
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