How Jeff Banister’s second chance at coaching has helped the Diamondbacks’ run

LOS ANGELES — The conversations that Jeff Banister was forced to have with his family were difficult. He’d been waiting for a call that started to seem like it would never come. All he wanted to do was coach — get back into a game that had long defined his life.

That desire, however, only went one way. Banister managed the Texas Rangers for four years and guided them to AL West Division titles in 2015 and 2016, his first two seasons.

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With the team tumbling toward a last-place finish in 2018, Banister was fired. And the journey back into coaching stagnated. It was at a time when teams were hiring young, analytically-minded, player-friendly managers and staffs. Banister, now 59, was more old school. He was gruff.

He wanted to manage again, but there wasn’t even an opportunity to coach. So he had to be honest with himself and with his wife. Maybe that very long chapter in his life had ended.

“There was a time when I was unsure,” Banister said. “‘What if this is it? What if that’s as good as it gets? Am I going to be OK with it?’ Deep down there was a burning desire.”

Today, Banister is the bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He joined the organization months after they finished a 110-loss season. He was given a lifeline by manager Torey Lovullo, who called him to gauge his interest.

The next day, Banister eagerly left his ranch near the Wyoming-Colorado border and flew to Arizona for an interview.

The Diamondbacks are a franchise writing a comeback story. So too are several of their players. And that’s what makes Banister the perfect fit. The sport had passed him by, until it hadn’t. Now, he’s playing a critical role for a team that’s surprising everyone this postseason. They’re up 1-0 on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS with Game 2 slated for Monday night.

“You know you’re in a good spot when your first lieutenant does your job better than you,” Lovullo said. “That’s the feeling I have. I wouldn’t be where I am today (without him).

“He’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me as a manager.”

Banister spent more than 20 years in various minor-league roles. As a high schooler, he was diagnosed with bone cancer, which nearly caused a leg amputation. A few years later, he was temporarily paralyzed following a plate collision. He still made the big leagues as a player, albeit for literally just one at-bat.

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His tribulations are well-documented, and they speak to his ability to get back to where he is today. Even with everything working against him, Banister has always found a way to be involved in this game.

In 2020, when it felt like he’d exhausted every avenue, Banister turned toward an old friend. Becoming a rancher was his backup plan, he said, if he wasn’t going to coach. And this was the place where he was prepared to fade into a peaceful anonymity.

But before that, he called Carl Iwasaki, who was the coach at the University of Northern Colorado. Banister was brought on in an advisory role for the young coaches and players who could lean on his years in the game.

“I know he’s gonna go as long as he can,” Iwasaki said. “He’s a great baseball person, a great baseball mind. And a great human being. I’m watching the dynamic of what’s going on right now. They’re building that Diamondback franchise, and he’s a big part of it.”

There’s a funny twist in Banister thriving on a team made up of so many young players. His intensity was likely a concern for many teams in considering a potential hire. With that came an uncertainty about how he’d interact with a new generation of players. Now he lists off those various youngsters, brimming with pride at their individual accomplishments. Lovullo said Banister is constantly putting out fires, dealing directly with players in a meaningful way.

Banister doesn’t take this for granted, he said, because there was a long period of time when it looked like he wouldn’t get this chance.

“Absolutely,” Banister said when asked about handling a period of uncertainty. “I’ll never not coach. I’ve been in a locker room since I had diapers on. My dad was a coach. So I grew up in that atmosphere. To watch (players) struggle then continue to work, and then turn into solid ballplayers. So it was frustrating.”

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In 2019, just months after Banister was fired, he conducted an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In that Q&A, he was asked what he would do differently the next time. At that moment, he couldn’t have known just how long it would be until that “next time.”

For that answer, he was introspective. For a man who had to grind his way into everything he earned in this game, he’d rarely taken the time to gain an on-job perspective. It took getting fired for that to happen.

“I should have allowed my ability to smile in tough times,” Banister said. “And (have) softer eyes for challenging moments.”

Iwasaki said he watched Saturday’s game on television. He saw the Diamondbacks hitters come back into the dugout after a big hit or a big run and hug their bench coach. He could see the impact Banister was having — something he’d already witnessed firsthand.

Managing again would mean everything to Banister. He’s not shy about acknowledging he wants another chance.

He’s been a big part of this Diamondbacks run, and it’s validating the impact he can have on a team. And perhaps validating to those around the league that he still has something to offer.

“Jeff Banister,” Lovullo said, “deserves to be a major league manager one day, once again.”

(Photo of Diamondbacks bench coach Jeff Banister: Rebecca Noble / Getty Images)