| Jeff Banister | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Banister at the 2015 Winter Meetings | |
| Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 82 | |
| Catcher / Manager / Coach | |
| Born: January 15, 1964 Weatherford, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 23, 1991, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 23, 1991, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | 1.000 |
| Hits | 1 |
| Managerial record | 325–313 |
| Winning % | .509 |
| Teams | |
| As player
As manager As coach
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Jeffery Todd Banister (born January 15, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He is the bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before that, he was a special assistant for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. He served as the manager of the Texas Rangers from 2015 through 2018. Before joining the Rangers, Banister spent 29 years within the organization of the Pirates as a player and coach in both the Pirates' major and minor league system.[1] After leaving the Rangers, Banister served the Director of Player Development with the University of Northern Colorado Bears baseball program in 2021 before landing with the D-backs.[2]
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 left leg below the knee. While playing college baseball for Lee College, he suffered a home plate collision which 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 one major league game on July 23, 1991, recording a hit in his only plate appearance. He did not appear in another major league game, ending 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, though hired him as their bench coach, serving in that 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.
- ^ "Ron Cook: A toast to the Pirates' improbable 2014 postseason push". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
- ^ Pfeifer, Ryan. "Former MLB Manager Joins UNC Baseball Staff," University of Northern Colorado Athletics, Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020