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Nice pants: A.J. Preller with Mitch the Bitch and JD, talking khakisNo, it's not C.J. Wilson leaving or the Rangers making a bad trade or the Rangers striking out in free agency.
It's the idea that coaching staff and front-office people may be leaving. It scares me to no end no matter how much of an inevitability it might be.
My blood chilled as I read that the Rangers gave Mike Maddux permission to talk to the Boston Red Sox about their manager vacancy. (This is fascinating to me because I am not aware of many pitching coaches being given the manager position.)
A lot of talk is given to MVP talk regarding the Rangers as a team. From Mike Young to Ian Kinsler, everyone has an opinion.
My MVP: Maddux. Since he's arrived there's been a palpitble change in the performance of the Rangers' pitching staff. Yes, Nolan Ryan's had influence, too, but he's not in the bullpen day after day instructing, giving tips and steering these guys in the right direction.
It is no coincidence that Maddux' arrival has resulted in two World Series berths.
Other potential guys leaving:
A.J. Preller
Most fans won't know Preller from Adam. Or Adam Lind. Anyway, he is the senior director of player personnel and if you saw shots of Jon Daniels during the post-season, you saw Preller. The pair went to Cornell together and basically came with Daniels to the Rangers. He is literally Daniels' right-hand man in terms of scouting and making decisions. Here is a fascinating read on his thoughts on certain acquisitions. The dude is sharp as a tack and a huge reason the Rangers have hit so many home runs in free agency, the draft, trades and any other personnel items.
Thad Levine
He is the assistant general manager. Should Daniels be unable to fulfill his duties as general manager, Levine would be the logical next step. But Daniels isn't going anywhere if the Rangers have anything to say about it. Levine, mostly, has been the money guy. He negotiates contracts, extensions and draft bonuses. Still, he's got a say in personnel items. He was brought in when Daniels arrived, so he's been a part of this ride.
To be honest, I'm a lot more fearful of Maddux leaving than I am Preller and Levine or any front-office guy. No disrespect to them, but by all accounts Josh Boyd and Kip Fagg are very talented evaluators. It's not just the guys at the top that have put this team in the World Series.
Maddux, however, is much more of a commodity and asset.
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