Event Recap: Texas Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels

Jon Daniels at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations

Credit: Rachel Philipson

On April 14th, the ILR Sports Management Club welcomed Texas Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels as a guest speaker. After graduating from Cornell in 1999 with a degree in Applied Economics and Management, Daniels has quickly built a reputation as one of baseball's best executives. After being named the youngest GM in baseball history at the age of 28 in 2005, Daniels' transactions, as well as his attitude, have continuously improved the organization, as evidenced by the Texas Rangers' first-ever American League Pennant in 2010. As a result, he was named Baseball America’s 2010 Major League Executive of the Year.

Daniels fielded a multitude of questions in an open Q&A forum in Ives 105, with questions ranging from his tasks as General Manager to how he became involved in baseball operations in the first place.

Stay tuned for a video of the event. Until then, enjoy the recap after the jump.

On his tasks as General Manager

Daniels emphasized that the GM position is a year-round job, requiring knowledge of baseball operations and community and media relations. What often goes undervalued is the developmental side of the organization, which requires both patience and knowledgeable, hard-working people surrounding you.

On how he became GM so quickly

Daniels attributed a lot of his success simply to circumstance--he maintains he was very fortunate to be at the right place at the right time. Jon Hart, the former Rangers GM, was looking for a person to "step up" and fill his (Hart’s) shoes. Daniels saw the opportunity and "ran with it.” Daniels acknowledged that even though he was probably not ready for the job at the time, he knew the system, the people within the organization, the community, and was thought highly of by all the people around him. Still, he wishes he had had some experience -possibly as a department head to get him more acquainted with his duties.

On how to get involved in the baseball world

In 1999, Daniels remarked that the casual fan who attended the Winter Meetings, (a three and a half day meeting in which the general managers from each organization meet and multiple transactions and free agent signings are announced) could meet and speak with prominent organization members and look to get a job or an internship. Presently, though, it is infinitely more difficult. Daniels even remarked that he doesn't come near the lobby during this event, as it is too busy and crowded. Daniels observed that there are a lot of young people searching for jobs in the baseball industry, maybe now more than ever. If you want to actually gain a job/internship, you must separate yourself from the crowd. Be passionate, patient, and respectful. Try to get around the game in order to meet some of the people already involved, and be sure to act professionally around them. Hopefully once you get an opportunity, you will be able to seize it.

ILRSMC Co-Presidents Gabe Gershenfeld and Jeff Lebow listen intently as Jon Daniels sheds light on how to enter the sports industry.

Credit: Rachel Philipson

On the impact of social media

Anyone can take out their camera phone and take a picture of an All-Star player acting like a drunken fool at a bar. Daniels stated that during spring training, all of the players and members of the organization are educated on the realities of social media. Daniels is a member of the Twitter community. He follows sports writers, the Rangers’ beat writers, and even some of his own players.

On whether youth gives him an advantage or disadvantage against other General Managers

Quite simply, Daniels maintained that his youth doesn't really give him an advantage or disadvantage as a General Manager. He thinks it's an advantage in the sense that he is able to connect with new ideas and more “creative” ways of thinking, but at the same time, his youth can be a hindrance. For example, Daniels recognized that he suffers from a lack of experience - other General Managers have been doing their job for a longer time.

On player development

Daniels stressed player development as possibly the most crucial aspect of being a General Manager. In fact, recently before coming to Cornell, Daniels visited the Rangers' Low Class A affiliate team, which contains some of the team's youngest and most promising prospects. Many of these players aren't even 20 years old yet. Daniels wants the Rangers, at every level, to do the extra things and "go above and beyond" to set them apart from other organizations. As he stated, the goal is obviously to bring in the most talented players. If the organization is acquiring the best young talent, while simultaneously developing this talent pool better than any other team, than the Rangers will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

On - his preference - the amateur draft or international scouting

Daniels noted that, on average, a team only gets one out of every thirty picks. Therefore, while a team might like the guy they select, there are twenty-nine other talented players that are taken off the board before getting the chance to select again. Therefore, Daniels stated that he wants to have a competitive advantage internationally, where there is less of a limit to signing players. For example, the Rangers organization scouted current Rangers Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz when the two were only 15. The scouts who saw them did a lot of homework, getting to know their families, their background, and “what they were all about” from an attitude and work ethic perspective.

Regarding the draft, Daniels is definitely involved at all levels, but less so than one might expect from the General Manager. Daniels' goal is to hire excellent people to surround him. In his opinion, it is best to let the people who excel in their particular field make decisions. Of course, he encourages debate and challenges his scouts and colleagues to support their claims, but at the end of the day, he trusts the people around him to make the right decisions. In the first few rounds, Daniels might remain heavily involved, but by Round 25, scouts are ultimately making the call. In his opinion, if a scout covets a player and highly recommends him, he will trust the scout. Overall, he encourages conversation, and he thinks it's very important to make sure that everyone feels involved in the draft process.

Students packed Ives 105 for the nearly hour long session

Come check out the ILR Sports Management Club - Tuesdays at 4:30, Ives 105.