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Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes: Breaking down the Rangers’ major front office overhaul and what it means

With hopes of improving the farm system and overall player development, Texas is shuffling around those working in baseball operations.

If it looks and feels like an overhaul, it’s probably an overhaul.

Then again, with a team finishing out its fifth consecutive losing season, overhauls are part of the landscape.

The churn in the Rangers’ front office continued Friday with the second change at assistant general manager in the last three weeks as part of a slew of baseball operations changes that focused on player development. It will potentially clear the way for the Rangers to hire a more hands-on farm director, perhaps someone with a playing background. The intent is for the improving farm system to take the next step.

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The moves included the promotion of Ross Fenstermaker, who has been instrumental in the Rangers’ pro and international scouting departments the last two years, to an assistant GM’s role. Fenstermaker will oversee the administrative side of the player development department, along with international amateur scouting.

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“His contributions in terms of the systems and processes that he’s set up there, some of the things from which we’ve really benefited, we think will translate to player development,” general manager Chris Young said. “We’re excited about his leadership and looking forward to him taking us to the next level and building on the great things that have already happened within player development.”

Fenstermaker, who has been with the organization for 12 years, will essentially assume the responsibilities that previously belonged to Mike Daly. He will be reassigned from an assistant GM to a yet-to-be-fully-defined baseball operations role. Daly, who has been with the organization for 15 years, has spent the last five as an assistant GM. Last month, the Rangers parted ways with assistant Shiraz Rehman.

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Among other moves, assistant GM Josh Boyd, the only one of the three assistant GMs who began the season to retain his title, will also receive a vice presidency and will expand his oversight to include amateur scouting. Kipp Fagg, who oversees the amateur draft, will now report to Boyd.

In addition, the Rangers will move Paul Kruger from director of minor league operations to director of operations on the major league side. Kruger will be heavily involved in navigating MLB’s complex set of rules pertaining to rosters and transactions.

“He’s done everything there is to be done on the minor league side and then some,” president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said. “We felt like his knowledge of the rules, his ability to problem solve, and his ability to be forward-thinking, will go a long way to help as we continue to improve at the major league level. It will be even more important.”

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Daniels said the Rangers would not be making any more changes to the basic structure of the department but will seek to hire a farm director under Fenstermaker. That would more likely be a blended role of part-time administrator/part-time instructor. A former player who could both communicate with players on their level and executives on their level would be ideal. Of the Rangers’ top executives, Young is the only one with MLB playing experience.

“I think that’s something we will certainly weigh in considering farm directors,” Young said. “I think that background is meaningful, but it’s not the only prerequisite, so to speak.”

Such former players are harder and harder to find and harder to keep. Many with long-time playing experience simply don’t want to work full-time after MLB careers and, if they do, they are often in demand at the MLB level. Second, those who are willing to take on the job are often quickly plucked.

Two examples: Gabe Kapler went quickly from running the Los Angeles Dodgers system to managing, and Raul Ibañez went quickly from working for the Dodgers to a vice presidency with MLB.

Among the other moves Friday, the Rangers promoted Joda Parent to Director of Baseball Administration, Napoleon Pichardo to Senior Director of Performance, Ben Baroody to Director of Leadership and Development (which will focus on growing the mental skills, leadership and personal development for players) and Mike Parnell to Director of Professional Scouting.

“It’s been a rebuilding season at the major league level and there are challenges that come with that,” Daniels said. “We don’t take any pride in the losses that have come with it, but we do take a lot of pride in the positives that have been going on elsewhere in the organization. We feel like these moves allow us to kind of take all those to another level.”

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