Jeff Banister | |||
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Banister at the 2015 Winter Meetings
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Texas Rangers – No. 28 | |||
Catcher / Manager | |||
Born: Weatherford, Oklahoma |
January 15, 1964 |||
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MLB debut | |||
July 23, 1991, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
July 23, 1991, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |||
MLB statistics (through 2016 season) |
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Batting average | 1.000 | ||
Hits | 1 | ||
Managerial record | 183–141 | ||
Winning % | .565 | ||
Teams | |||
As player As manager
As coach |
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Career highlights and awards | |||
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As player
As manager
As coach
Jeffery Todd Banister (born January 15, 1964) is an American retired professional baseball player and current manager of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. Before joining the Rangers, Banister spent 29 years within the organization of the Pittsburgh Pirates as a player and coach in both the Pirates' major and minor league system.
Banister played baseball at La Marque High School in La Marque, Texas. He developed bone cancer in his sophomore year, which almost necessitated the amputation of his leg. While playing college baseball for Lee College, he suffered a home plate collision that broke three vertebrae in his neck, leaving him paralyzed for ten days. After rehabilitating, he was named a Junior College All-American the next season, and received a scholarship to the University of Houston, to play for the Houston Cougars baseball team. He was then drafted by the Pirates in 1986. After playing in Minor League Baseball, he appeared in a major league game on July 23, 1991, recording a hit in his only plate appearance. He did not appear in another major league game, and ended his playing career after the 1993 season.
Following his playing career, Banister remained with the Pirates. He served as a manager for their Minor League Baseball affiliates from 1994 through 1998, and then as a minor league and major league field coordinator until 2010. The Pirates considered him for their managerial vacancy before the 2011 season, but hired him as their bench coach. He served in the role through the 2014 season. The Rangers hired Banister as their manager during the 2014–15 offseason, and he was named the American League Manager of the Year for 2015.