The temperature was in the upper 30's at Ameriquest Field in Arlington, but that didn't stop new Rangers Manager Ron Washington from holding a portion of a mini camp outdoors.
“Beautiful baseball weather,” he said with a laugh. “I love it. We got our work done.”
Most of the work was actually moved to the indoor batting cages. These days the focus of General Manager Jon Daniels is to bring stability to the organization.
“The reality is I'm the third General Manger in the last six seven years,” said Daniels. “Ron's the third or fourth manager we're having. We've had too much turnover in the leadership here, and in our scouting and development departments.
With Washington as the new manager, young players know their careers are getting a fresh start. Once again, it’s all about first impressions.
“I know that he is going to bring a positive upbeat energy to this club,” says Rangers Pitcher Cameron Loe. “That's just the feeling I get from him, every time I talk to him. But I don't know how its gonna work. I'm very interested to see how it works.”
Pitcher Thomas Diamond shares a similar view. “Since he was in Oakland, he's seen most of the guys,” says Diamond. “He really hasn't seen any of the guys in the minor leagues, so its like a first impression here.”
Washington says he's contacted most of the players about what he expects. It was something he wanted to address as quickly as possible.
“I wanted to get that out of the way before spring training started,” says Washington. “I wanted them to know what I'm about. I wanted them to know my attitude. I wanted them to know my effort level, my commitment, and I wanted them to match it. And if they match my level of attitude commitment and effort, I'm not going to have any problems.”
This mini camp will last only two days. It’s designed for the pitchers, because that's what the team needs to work on most. All will be in Surprise, Arizona in about two weeks. Those who attended, included C.J. Wilson, John Koronka, Kameron Loe, A.J. Murray, Kevin Millwood, Thomas Diamond, Eric Hurley, Robinson Tejeda, Edinson Volquez, Francisco Cruceta and Brandon McCarthy.
No comments:
Post a Comment