The Texas Rangers have made it to back-to-back World Series appearances but the one person who never gets any credit for their success is manager Ron Washington.
It looks like the only people who refuse to credit him are fans because the Rangers' organization rewarded Washington with a new two-year contract extension, keeping him locked up through 2014.
Washington has been with Texas for five years now, and in every year under his management, the Rangers have consistently improved. In his first season with Texas, the Rangers finished with a 75-87 record. The next year, the team improved to 79 wins, and then 87 in 2009. Finally, in 2010, the Rangers won 90 games and made the World Series by beating the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and New York Yankees before falling to the San Francisco Giants.
In 2011, Washington did even better when he led the team to a franchise-high 96 wins and their second straight visit to the World Series, where they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. Over his five year career, Washington is 427-383. His .527 winning percentage is better than any manager in Rangers' history except Billy Hunter. He only needs 154 more wins to move into first on the Rangers' all-time wins list.
Plus, he was immortalized in the 2011 movie "Moneyball," where he was portrayed by Brent Jennings. In the movie, his character is best known for the recruitment of Scott Hatteberg, where he told the player how hard first base was going to be, despite Billy Beane's sugar coating. Washington has a large part in the book as the man who helped Hatteberg learn the new position.
It was during his time in Oakland, as a position coach, that he proved he had what it took for the Rangers to take a chance on him in 2007.
I don't want to hear people complaining that the Rangers are winning despite Washington's mistakes. The Rangers would not have made it to back-to-back World Series appearances if not for Washington's management skills. He earned this extension and I am happy to have him back for another three years.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Texas Rangers fan his entire life, watching the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate play for over 30 years. While Texas has moved their Triple-A team, Shawn still remains a loyal Rangers fan and awaits the year they finally win the big one.
Source: texasrangers.com