The Pallilog
Astros search for a manager enters the homestretch. Who will it be?
Jan 24, 2020, 6:55 am
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Jeff Bannister
This time next week Jim Crane will have hired or be closing in on hiring the Astros' new manager. Who is it going to be? Considering Crane himself doesn't know yet, how the heck should I know? The candidate pool is deep in quality, four former big league skippers (none of whom have won a World Series) and at least three others who have never managed in Major League Baseball.
Dusty Baker. 70 years old. Over 22 seasons he steered four different franchises to the postseason. Tremendous people skills. I always felt his teams took on his upbeat but intense personality. Not a tactical wizard and a questionable resume re: handling of several pitchers. That's not a dealbreaker If Brent Strom is still the pitching coach.
Buck Showalter. Organized and prepared as all get out. Taken three different teams to the playoffs. More coincidence than anything else, the Yankees and Diamondbacks won the World Series...the season immediately after they fired Showalter.
John Gibbons. Low key personality. Two American League Championship Series trips with the Blue Jays.
Jeff Banister. LaMarque high school grad, played at UH. Back-to-Back AL West titles with the Rangers before their roster fell apart and the Astros took over the division. Also a lifetime big league batting average of 1.000. One at bat, he singled.
Any of those four would be a highly credible hire.
Those seeking experience by getting experience: Raul Ibanez, Will Venable, and Eduardo Perez. Where the Astros are, I would lean away from them. Incumbent bench coach Joe Espada is a more credentialed candidate than those three, but Espada was on A.J. Hinch's staff when the Astros are confirmed as cheaters, so can't see Crane going with him.
The experienced big league managers would command more money. That should play zero role in the choice, even though if the Astros stay largely healthy and avoid precipitous performance declines, you or I could manage their roster to 90 wins. Who is best equipped to navigate the S.S. Astros through some stormy seas bound to hit? Because, A. that's baseball, and B. they'll face some unusual stuff in their role as the lying, cheating villains of MLB. Can't know the answer to that.
Rockets fading from the spotlight
The Texans disintegrated on the field in Kansas City, the Astros' integrity turns out to have in part either disintegrated or been non-existent, leaving the Rockets among the big three to uplift the city's sports spirits over the next couple of months. Problem, relatively few seem to care. Glaring numbers of empty seats (even though sold) at Toyota Center, lower TV ratings, and a palpable lack of buzz to them. No shame in a 27-16 record, but that's not close to special and things just seem a bit stale. Dog days of midseason or larger problems?
The Rockets enter the weekend closer to the Draft Lottery than to the Western Conference leading Lakers. The Rockets are at best b-list contenders, waaaay more likely to get bounced from the playoffs in the first round than to win the West. They may be in serious trouble relative to this season's aspirations, and going forward.
Recent deep shooting slump aside, James Harden is a phenomenal offensive force, and Russell Westbrook is a force of nature. But a Harden/Westbrook backcourt headlines a non-championship caliber defense. And there just aren't good enough players around them. Harden is 30 years old, Westbrook is 31. Eric Gordon and his balky knee and erratic jumper, also 31. Over the next three seasons the Rockets are on the hook for those three guys at an average of about 106 million dollars per season.
For two straight off-seasons, the Rockets have been cheap with construction of the bench. Whatever the extent he's been following owner Tilman Fertitta's marching orders, among teams that fancy themselves contenders General Manager Daryl Morey has produced the worst bench in the NBA.
There are a bunch of teams with better overall talent, there are lottery teams with better young talent. It all adds up to the best guess being Head Coach Mike D'Antoni parts ways with the Rockets after the season. How good a job will the Rockets job be for the next coach? The answer might be, not very, in terms of pursuing an NBA championship.
While not being a big deal, it won't look good on the Rockets side if/when Chris Paul makes the All Star Game and Russell Westbrook doesn't.
Buzzer Beaters
1. If you were Kelvin Sampson would you leave UH for the Rockets? 2. The Pro Bowl is Sunday! 3. Things on TV I'd watch before the Pro Bowl: Bronze-Real Housewives of Anywhere Silver-A full XFL game Gold-Three hours of test pattern
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How Astros face intriguing call with promising young outfielder
Aug 14, 2025, 6:22 pm
The Astros got a little revenge on the Red Sox this week, taking the series after Boston swept them at the start of August. Hunter Brown delivered exactly what Houston needed — a dominant start that saw him hold Boston to one run over 6.2 innings. Yainer Díaz stayed hot, launching a two-run homer that gave the pitching staff some breathing room and tilted the game in Houston’s favor. Even with Carlos Correa getting the day off on Wednesday, the Astros still secured the series win, and he’ll get the benefit of Thursday’s off day as well.
The series also gave us our first look at Houston’s bullpen without Josh Hader, who’s on the shelf with a shoulder strain. Bennett Sousa stepped up, keeping the lead intact so Bryan Abreu could slam the door in the ninth. Espada hasn’t officially called Abreu the closer, which signals the Astros may be going matchup-first with Hader out. That said, the bullpen as a whole took a hit in the series, allowing 11 runs — nine of them from regular bullpen arms in Game 2. Even Hector Neris, who was just released, might be looking at the box scores, thinking he wasn't that bad.
Health remains the other big piece to the Astros’ postseason picture. Spencer Arrighetti and Cristian Javier are both back in the rotation, with Javier impressing in his first start back from Tommy John. Luis Garcia is close behind, showing more velocity in his rehab outings for Sugar Land. It appears he's close to returning.
Luis Garcia, who maxed out at 92.5 mph in his Aug. 7 rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land, has touched 94.7 mph tonight.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 14, 2025
Jake Meyers is working his way back from a calf injury in Florida, but the big question is Yordan Alvarez. He’s set to take live BP soon, and this time the hope is that he avoids any discomfort that might set him back again.
Now comes the chance to create some breathing room in the AL West. The schedule ahead — Orioles, Tigers, Orioles again, Rockies, Angels — offers only one truly tough matchup in that stretch. On paper, it’s an ideal runway to put some distance between themselves and the Mariners. Sure, the A’s sweep earlier this season proves nothing is automatic, but this is a different Astros team than the one that stumbled back then. Since being swept by Boston, they’ve reeled off three straight series wins over the Marlins, Yankees, and Red Sox. Correa’s return hasn’t just been a nostalgia play — he’s producing at an elite level, taking pressure off guys like Christian Walker and Yainer Díaz, and setting a tone that’s carried through the lineup. If the chemistry keeps building, this soft stretch could be the spark that shapes their September push.
There's so much more to get to! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode on Thursday!
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