Buck Showalter's style may be a shock to some of the Rangers because he is a thorough, old-school manager. Some players just like to play, but everything Buck does will be well thought out. The big question will be how his style meshes with the players, starting with Alex Rodriguez.

Showalter shouldn't have any problems with A-Rod, who wants to win and is willing to do whatever it takes. That is half the battle. For the rest of the players to buy into Buck, he needs to sell his approach to A-Rod first. If A-Rod buys into it, everyone else will because the other players look up to him. It will also help having other veteran players around like Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez, if he comes back.

Along with getting everybody on the same page, Buck's toughest job will be trying to get the pitching in order. They have a young pitching staff that ranked 12th in the American League in ERA (5.15). The Rangers also had injury problems and have to contend with the heat; the players often don't want to be out on the field sweating before the game. But A-Rod is the exception. Although he is a mega-star, he will be out there working hard.

Of the teams needing new managers, the Rangers and the Mets have the best chance of turning things around quickly. Buck is probably the right man for the job and can be successful.

Sitting next to Buck and working with him on the set of "Baseball Tonight," I asked him tons of questions about managing and decision-making, and I learned a lot. I'm happy for him.

Future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who is the new head baseball coach at San Diego State, is also a baseball analyst for ESPN.