The Houston Astros finally have their guy. Dana Brown, a long-time MLB executive, was named the franchise’s new general manager on Thursday afternoon.
Brown has decades of experience scouting players and working in the front offices for MLB clubs. He is coming from the Atlanta Braves where he was the Vice President of Scouting since 2019. Brown primarily focused on scouting in the amateur ranks.
Before joining Atlanta, Brown spent nine seasons serving as a special assistant to the general manager for the Toronto Blue Jays. Prior to that, he was spent eight seasons as the scouting director for the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals.
Throughout his long career, Brown has been responsible for selecting multiple players that went on to play in MLB, including Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann.
With the Braves, Brown helped in the team selecting Michael Harris II, who won the 2022 National League Rookie of the Year, right-handed pitcher Spencer Strider and infielder Vaughn Grissom. Brown also took catcher Shea Langeliers, which helped Atlanta land Matt Olson, who became a key figure in the Braves’ 2022 season.
The new Astros general manager was also a player in his own right. The 55-year-old had a stellar career with Seton Hall in the 1980s. He earned a Big East first team selection three times with the Pirates, and he helped lead Seton Hall to a 149-71-1 record in four years.
He also helped Seton Hall win a conference championship in 1987. Brown played 215 games for the Pirates, had 743 at bats and scored 207 runs. He was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 35th round of the 1989 MLB Amateur Draft.
Brown seems like a perfect fit for the Astros, who have become known for their ability to scout underrated players in their own right, such as Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia and going over a decade back, Jose Altuve.
With Houston owner Jim Crane looking to win as many championships as possible, a person that can scout and find key pieces to a championship roster is a coveted skill, which is something that Brown has demonstrated he possesses.
