ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jeff Banister insists he never panicked, not even when the Texas Rangers had the American League's worst record after 24 games.

If you don't believe him, he'll put his hand on the Bible. Pinkie swear? No problem.

Banister said he never doubted his club's ability to rise above the American League's dregs because his eyes showed him the truth based on 30 years in professional baseball. Results lie; effort doesn't.

Each day, Banister watched his players take the field with purpose and play hard -- even when they didn't always play well. He didn't see slumping shoulders or grim faces, just a resolve to play better.

The reality is Banister needed players such as Shin-Soo Choo and Adrian Beltre to play to their pedigree, and he needed to find help in the bullpen. Once that happened, the Rangers took off.

"It's easy to throw your hands in the air and start throwing blame in all directions or start reaching for excuses -- we're injured here, we're injured there," Banister said. "Never did I say that, never did I believe that.

Jeff Banister is a firm believer in the process, which is why the Rangers' first-year manager never lost faith when things were going bad. Brian Blanco/Getty Images

"We believe in the process, and I believed in those guys and what they felt about themselves. Those guys will let you know when they don't feel good about themselves."

It's that attitude that helped Banister earn the respect of his key players. Do that, and the rest will follow.

Since May 4, the Rangers have baseball's best record (22-11), and they began a three-game series against Oakland on Tuesday night with the AL's sixth-best record. The Rangers are 7-1-2 in their last 10 series after going 0-6-2 in their first eight.

"He was calm. He didn't panic and he didn't act differently in April," Elvis Andrus said. "As a first-time manager, a lot of guys probably would've panicked, but he went complete opposite way -- and that's big."

The Rangers aren't just winning because they're playing better; the manager has made an impact. He plays to win each night.

Obviously every manager wants to win every game, but they don't manage that way.

Banister does.

If it means using his closer to get four outs, then he'll do it. If it means pinch-running for Prince Fielder or Beltre in the eighth inning for a better chance to tie the score, then so be it. He'll worry about their replacements once the game goes into extra innings.

He has zero issue taking a player out of his normal role to help the team win a game.

"Each one of those guys deserves my best each night they go out and perform. They need the best decision I can make to win a game," Banister said. "Every game we have an opportunity to win.

"We get paid to win. The emotional investment for everybody in this organization. The fans that buy Texas jerseys and hats come to the ballpark or turn on the TV to see us give an effort to win a ballgame.

"Plus those guys in the clubhouse deserve it. They don't show up not to win. They show up every day looking to win a ballgame. Who's to say the one you don't show up to win keeps you out of the playoffs scenario?"

Ron Washington, who led the Rangers to consecutive World Series appearances, earned the loyalty of his players by giving them every opportunity to succeed. He rarely tinkered with the lineup and didn't use his bench players all that much.

Banister takes a different approach to earn trust. When a player is struggling, Banister likes to let the player "unplug."

It could mean giving a player a couple of days off, the way he did for Choo at the start of May. Or it could mean dropping a player in the batting order for a game or two, the way he did with Leonys Martin.

Sometimes, it means sending a promising player such as Rougned Odor to the minor leagues, so he can improve his skill set in a less pressurized setting.

Banister usually changes each day, and he's obsessive about making sure his bench players get regular work.

Banister, though, has also found a way to connect with players. Chi Chi Gonzalez will never forget the way Banister made him stay on the mound and soak in the moment as the home crowd gave him a thunderous ovation in his major league debut.

And he was intuitive enough to bat Joey Gallo sixth in his first couple of games to ease the rookie's mind and remove any self-induced pressure to be a run-producer.

"He's a man," Fielder said. "I've had good managers, and he's by far one of the best. The way he handles things, listens to the veteran players and allows us to govern the clubhouse.

"He's straight up. There's no talking behind your back. I love him. He's what a man is supposed to be."

For Banister, that's the ultimate sign he's managing the team properly.