Daniels, Banister up for Esurance MLB Awards

ARLINGTON -- Rangers general manager Jon Daniels and manager Jeff Banister have been nominated for Esurance MLB Awards. Daniels has been nominated for Executive of the Year and Banister has been nominated for Manager of the Year.

Banister led the Rangers to an 88-74 record and an American League Western Division title in his first year as manager. The Rangers were 67-95 in 2014.

Daniels, who also holds the title of president of baseball operations, is in his 10th year as general manager. His 2015 trade acquisitions included pitchers Cole Hamels, Yovani Gallardo, Jake Diekman, Sam Dyson and Sam Freeman, as well as infielder Mike Napoli and outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Shortstop Elvis Andrus has been nominated for Best Offensive Play for stealing home against the Padres on Sept. 1. With Padres reliever Kevin Quackenbush focused squarely on his next pitch, Andrus saw an opening to get the Rangers a run. Andrus broke from third base and slid ahead of Quackenbush's throw, completing a straight steal of home plate.

Video: Must C Classic: Andrus swipes home on straight steal

Golfer Jordan Spieth has been nominated for Best Celebrity Fan, Eric Nadel has been nominated for Best Radio Call for the final out in the division-clinching last game of the season and Mike Napoli has been nominated for Best Trending Topic over a hit-by-pitch in August.

The Rangers were also nominated for Best Fan Catch. With help from a lucky bounce, a surehanded Rangers fan was able to grab a foul ball without leaving her seat at Globe Life Park. After the ball caromed off a seat several rows behind her and traveled back toward the field, the woman reached over her head to make a nifty barehanded catch.

Video: TOR@TEX: Fan earns souvenir with great grab off carom

Both first baseman Mitch Moreland and designated hitter Prince Fielder were nominated for the Bounceback Player Award. Both had season-ending injuries in 2014, but Fielder came back to hit .305 with 23 home runs and 98 RBIs, and Moreland hit .278 with 23 home runs and 85 RBIs.

The Esurance MLB Awards annually honor Major League Baseball's greatest achievements as part of an industry-wide balloting process that includes five components, each of which accounts for 20 percent of the overall vote: media, front-office personnel, retired MLB players, fans at MLB.com and Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) voters.

Individual awards will go to the Best Major Leaguer in addition to the winners in the following categories: Best Everyday Player, Starting Pitcher, Rookie, Defensive Player, Breakout Player, Bounceback Player, Manager, Executive, Social Media Personality and Postseason Performer.

Winners will also be recognized for the year's Best Offensive Play, Defensive Play, Moment, Single-Game Performance, Social Media Post, Celebrity Fan, Fan Catch, Interview, TV Call, Radio Call, Player-Fan Interaction, Video Board Moment and Trending Topic.

Voting will remain open through Nov. 13 by visiting mlb.com/awards. Winners will be announced live on MLB Network and MLB.com on Nov. 20.