Ron Washington Agrees to Contract Extension
Rangers' all-time winningest manager signed through 2015
Surprise, AZ-The Texas Rangers today announced that manager Ron Washington has agreed to terms on a contract extension through the 2015 season. No further terms were disclosed.
"Ron Washington leads our club with a vast knowledge and passion for the game," said Rangers President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Jon Daniels. "Under Wash's guidance and tutelage, the Rangers have enjoyed their greatest successes in franchise history. I look forward to working with him to build on that success in 2014 and beyond."
Washington, who is in his eighth season as Rangers' manager, has guided the club to four consecutive seasons with 90 or more victories, joining Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon as the only managers to accomplish that feat from 2010-13. Over the last four seasons Texas' .570 (370-279) winning percentage is third best in the major leagues.
He is the Rangers' all-time leader with 611 regular season wins and his .538 career winning percentage is tops among all Texas managers with at least two years of service. Only Bobby Valentine (1186) has managed more games than Washington's 1135 in a Rangers' uniform.
Washington has led the Rangers to winning records in each of the last five seasons from 2009-13, a first for the franchise. Texas has now finished in first or second place for a club-record six consecutive seasons (2008-13). The skipper has been at the helm for 19 of the 20 all-time playoff wins by the Washington/Texas franchise (1961-2012) and is the only manager in franchise history to win a postseason series.
The Rangers' skipper was at the helm for Texas' three consecutive postseason berths from 2010-12, also a first in the history of the franchise. With back-to-back American League Championships in 2010 and 2011, Washington is one of only four managers to advance to consecutive World Series in the Division Series era (1995-2013), in which a team has to win two series to get to the Fall Classic, joining Bobby Cox (Atlanta, 1995-96), Joe Torre (New York-AL, 1998-99-2000-01), and Charlie Manuel (Philadelphia, 2008-09).
Washington, 61, is tied with San Diego's Bud Black and San Francisco's Bruce Bochy for the fourth-longest tenure among active managers. The only managers to have longer tenures with their current clubs (team and first year) are Mike Scioscia (Angels, 2000), Ron Gardenhire (Twins, 2002), and Maddon (Rays, 2006).
Named the 17th full-time manager in Texas history on November 6, 2006, Washington agreed to a two-year contract with options for 2009 (picked up on August 30, 2007) and 2010 (picked up on June 8, 2009). He signed two-year extensions through 2012 on November 4, 2010 and through 2014 on January 30, 2012.