How Hall of Fame advisors could impact the Houston Astros front office moving forward
GROUP THINK
16 November 2022
ESPN's Jeff Passan took us behind the curtains of the Houston Astros front office in an article released Tuesday morning. You can read it here: https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/stor...
Reading said piece, I was struck by a few things, like this quote which made me laugh: Though James Click wasn't indecisive, he did not preen about with what one person deemed Luhnow's “institutional arrogance,” which Jim Crane actually thought was an admirable thing.
But more than anything, the realization that Jeff Bagwell & Reggie Jackson have major roles in the Astros front office concerns me.
Crane, sources said, felt coming into the 2022 season that the team needed more “baseball men” involved in operations decisions and invited Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell and Reggie Jackson into the team's weekly senior baseball-operations meetings.
So why is this a concern? Having too much influence from the ex-player realm could lead to a lot of gut reaction, shoot from the hip, and “trust me, I know because I played the game” thinking. Ideally, you want to balance the former player mindset, with modern analytics because a lot of things have changed in the past 15 years. Plus, we know James Click is no longer providing that analytical feedback, and they still haven't hired a GM to replace him.
At the end of the day, what they're doing is obviously working. Hopefully, they will continue to have that balance that's made them so successful.
Be sure to check out the video above for the full breakdown.
Listen live to the Paul Gallant Show every weekday 10—noon CT on ESPN 97.5 & 92.5 Houston.
How Astros’ newest additions stole the spotlight against New York
Feb 25, 2025, 4:58 pm
The Astros defeated the Mets 8-5 on Tuesday, in a game that featured several of the club's biggest offseason additions, along with two of their top three prospects (Cam Smith, Brice Matthews).
Below are my brief notes from the game:
Ronel Blanco (1 1/3 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 1 K) started the game and allowed 3 runs, one of which was a solo home run to Jose Siri. He allowed a lot of contact, but the changeup looked good, and it's his first appearance of the spring.
Hayden Wesneski (2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K) surrendered a solo homer to Brett Baty. He mixed in a curveball to lefties. Wesneski settled down in his second inning.
Brett goes BOOM!!!💥💥💥💥💥 pic.twitter.com/4nwLe1pbTC
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 25, 2025
Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats. It may take a while to break these free swinging habits.
Isaac Paredes (0-2, 1 R) worked a full count and walked in his first at-bat. His reputation for being a patient hitter showed.
Christian Walker (1-1, 2B, BB, 2 R) hit a 400-foot double to center on a full count. He also had a nice catch in foul territory and a good scoop.
Christian Walker's first hit as an Astro! pic.twitter.com/TxwNxnOkk6
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 25, 2025
Victor Caratini (2-3, 2 R) blasted a homer to right field. He made up for a throwing error early in the game.
CRUSHED BY CARATINI!! pic.twitter.com/aive22U11I
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 25, 2025
Dubon (0-3) out on the first pitch in his second at-bat. Only saw two pitches before popping out in his third at-bat. The free swinging continues.
McCormick (0-2, RBI, HBP) and Jake Meyers (0-3) both struck out vs. Chris Devenski. At least McCormick worked a deeper count in this at-bat. Meyers did hit a ball to the warning track in his first trip to the plate. So there's something.
Bennett Sousa (1IP, 1 BB, 0 R) worked out of a jam, Jon Singleton with a good scoop to end the inning. Looks like Sousa's velocity is up a bit.
Brice Matthews (0-1, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 K) walked and struck out. We'll see if he can improve against breaking balls. He looked comfortable at second base.
Cam Smith (2-2, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR) hammered a first pitch fastball to right field for his first home run.
CAM SMITH! HOMERUN! pic.twitter.com/NFlvRLbljp
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 25, 2025
In his second at-bat, he took a slider and a curve. Then hit another homer off a fastball to right center. Impressive.
Y'all wanna see him do it again? pic.twitter.com/YgVRkKpwCm
— Houston Astros (@astros) February 25, 2025
Forrest Whitley (1 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2K) struck out the final batter with a 97 MPH fastball. He looks good. I can see why the Astros are cautiously optimistic.
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