Rangers name Jeff Banister manager

The Texas Rangers will name Pirates bench coach Jeff Banister as their new manager, according to a report from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The 49-year-old is tied for the all-time record for batting average in major league history (min. one at-bat), and he had been with the Pirates in some capacity for 28 years.

Banister was a 25th-round pick in 1986, and he received exactly one at-bat in the majors, reaching on an infield single. He became a manager of the NYPL Welland Pirates in 1994, eventually managing the Augusta GreenJackets, Lynchburg Hillcats, and Carolina Mudcats before joining the Pirates' staff in 1999. According to Baseball-Reference's Bullpen, Banister had bone cancer in his ankle in high school and a crushed vertebrae following a home-plate collision in college, so he doesn't care about the nasty things you're going to say about him on Twitter when he bunts.

Banister takes over for Ron Washington, two-time pennant winner, who resigned suddenly at the end of the season to deal with personal issues.