Arguably, the biggest offseason acquisition before the 2009 campaign was pitching coach Mike Maddux. He came in, met with his pitching staff and immediately went to work. Maddux talked with each pitcher, trying to get to know their personalities and their strengths and weaknesses on the mound. If you talk to his pitchers, it wasn't as if Maddux arrived to spring training with some new approach to pitching. But he stressed throwing strikes and letting the defense help. And he quickly started to understand how to push each player's buttons.
The Rangers certainly saw results. Texas finished with 4.61 ERA. To put that in perspective, it was nearly one run better than last season's 5.51 ERA. The other mandate -- from club president Nolan Ryan on down -- was to have starters go deeper into games. They did that too, pitching 80 more innings than in 2008. Rangers starters had the fewest innings pitched in the American League in 2008. They were middle of the pack in 2009. That's improved.
Rangers pitchers were in better shape in 2009 as Ryan and Maddux were big on stressing conditioning. While Maddux preached trusting the defense, the team's improvement defensively also had a direct impact on the starters. Too many times in 2008, the defense let the pitchers down. The defense was an asset in 2009.
Bullpen coach Andy Hawkins probably didn't get as much credit as he deserved. The bullpen, which worried the Rangers coming out of spring training, held together pretty well. It was inconsistent, especially in middle relief, and had injury issues. But Hawkins and the Rangers dealt with that as well as they could.
Third base coach Dave Anderson, in his first season on the job, also worked with the infielders. He did a nice job with both. Anderson watched over an infield that was altered with Michael Young moving to third and Elvis Andrus to short. Anderson was there to answer any questions as both players made adjustments. In my opinion, I thought Anderson did a good job with runners coming home. At times he was conservative, but he was quick about making reads, knowing where the ball was, what kind of arm the opposing outfielders had and what kind of speed he had on the bases.
Bench coach Jackie Moore provided experience and was a guy that Washington could bounce ideas off of. Moore helped with in-game strategy and provided Washington with the tools needed to make decisions. First base coach Gary Pettis, who also coached the outfielders, has earned the respect of his players since starting with Texas three seasons ago.
2010 Outlook: The entire staff, minus hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, will return. The Rangers will meet with four finalists for Jaramillo's job Monday.
Washington has developed a nice chemistry with this staff, especially Maddux. Washington trusts his judgment and allows Maddux to handle the pitchers. Maddux has rewarded that confidence with a staff that is improving. They must keep making strides and get better if the Rangers are to contend in 2010.
Don't underestimate the importance of a good coaching staff. What do you think of Washington's staff?
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Richard Durrett
Richard Durrett joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He writes about colleges, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. Richard spent nine years at The Dallas Morning News covering the Rangers, Stars, colleges, motorsports and high schools.
Ben Rogers
Ben Rogers joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2009. He is one half of the "GameNight with Ben & Skin" show, heard weekdays from 6p-9p on 103.3 FM ESPN.
