In 2001 Jon Daniels took a job with the Rockies, working under GM Dan O’Dowd. He left the next year, opting for an entry level job with the Rangers. This was two years after graduating from Cornell with a degree in applied economics and management.

Understand this: He took an entry-level job with the Rangers in 2002 and was promoted to assistant GM in 2004. In two years he went from coffee boy to assistant GM of a Major League Baseball Franchise.

Daniels is 28. He’s 10 months younger than fellow uber-kid GM Theo Epstein, who took the reins of the Red Sox after the Yawkees handed him the job in 2002.

The really crazy thing is that Daniels knew this promotion was coming. Buck Showalter convinced John Hart to stay through the 2005 season after the GM’s contract was up in 2004. At that point Daniels was being targeted as Hart’s successor, and would likely have been handed the job at the ripe old age of 27.

Showalter said of Daniels, “He’s a special young man. He’s sharp and has great people skills. He’s a quick learner. J.D. will make the decisions, and most of the time he’s been right.”

You can bet he’s got good people skills. You don’t make this kind of precipitous climb without the innate ability to suck up large to everyone with a bigger office. Daniels is the guy you used to know who would talk to you like a buddy , but not actually listen to a word you said. In other words, he’s a businessman.

The Rangers were 79-83 this year. And they’ve got one heck of an offensive foundation. Now Kevin Mench is gone next year, and Soriano is looking for a new contract. Also gone is Kenny Rogers, one of the most unlikely “good” pitchers in the entire MLB.

With Kam Loe, and Chris Young the Rangers have at least a possibility of posting a decent rotation next year. Their bullpen is all right, and their offense is dynamite. Daniels really inherited a team that’s kind of a fool-proof playoff contender pending the right pitching acquisitions. I guess they just became instant contenders for the services of AJ Burnett. Because this is one GM who’ll overpay as he tries to make a name for himself. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see a trade with the Jays: say, Ted Lilly going to Texas for Mench.