Who is Jon Daniels?

Texas Rangers, in a bid to change the club’s fortunes, have decided to fire manager Chris Woodward and President of Baseball Operations Jon Daniels in quick succession. Daniels, 44, was with the Rangers since 2002, but after the club’s dismal performances in the last few seasons, a change in ranks does not come as a surprise.

Born in Queens, New York, Daniels is a major in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University. His career in baseball management began in the year 2001 when he signed on as an intern for the Colorado Rookies. After just spending a single season with the club, Daniels applied to the Texas Rangers and got hired by then-manager John Hart. He was then appointed as the club’s assistant general manager in 2004 and went on to become the GM in 2005 when he was only 28-years-old. This made him the youngest GM in MLB history.

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In the year 2013, Daniels was promoted to the position of President of Baseball Operations. It was under Daniels’ stewardship that the Rangers were able to play in the postseason on five occasions in the last 12 years. The Rangers had also managed to win the AL West division titles on four occasions under Daniels- 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2016. The club had also delivered the best win-loss ratio (95-67) in the American League in 2016.

Daniels performance at the club also saw him win the 2010 Major League Executive of the Year. In the very next season, the Boston chapter of Baseball Writers Association of America also honoured him with the Major League Executive of the Year award. He was also influential in opening the club’s Academy in the Dominican Republic’s Boca Chica. 

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The former executive is a member of the Board of Directors for the Do It For Durrett Foundation. Along with his wife Robyn, Daniels, through the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation, has established a scholarship program to help young people in North Texas.