NO-BRAINER
The definitive case and clear-cut choice for Houston Astros manager
Oct 31, 2023, 2:12 pm
Will GM Dana Brown hire an in-house candidate? Composite image by Brandon Strange.
It appears that the frontrunners to manage the Houston Astros next year and beyond are veteran bench coach Joe Espada, who stood shoulder to shoulder with Dusty Baker the last four seasons, and Brad Ausmus, whose only attribute seems to be that he’s buddies with Jim Crane whisperer Jeff Bagwell.
Some decisions are easy: the right choice is Espada.
The Astros can hire pretty much any available candidate they want but why not go with a proven commodity who knows the lay of the land? Managing the Astros in 2024 is one of the sweetest plum jobs in baseball history. You know the stats: seven consecutive ALCS appearances, four World Series appearances since 2017, two championships. The team is locked and loaded for another post-season run with practically every key player from last year returning.
When a team wins its division and comes within one game of making the World Series – and it’s considered a disappointing season – who wouldn’t jump at the chance to manage the Astros in 2024?
This isn’t like a team that finished in last place and a total rebuild is necessary. The Astros don’t need to repair its foundation or knock down walls. The Astros organization is an architectural masterpiece. All the Astros need is a new coat of paint in the form of a manager to guide the best roster in baseball to another World Series run.
Just fill out the lineup card, install Yanier Diaz as the everyday catcher, and roll the ball onto the field.
So when Crane and general manager Dana Brown interview candidates, their only consideration should be … will the Astros give 100 percent for this guy? I was going to say 110 percent, but I don’t need Charlie Pallilo lecturing me how it’s empirically impossible to give more than 100 percent. It’s just an expression, Charlie.
The Astros don’t need to conduct interviews with retreads like Buck Showalter, Joe Maddon, Don Mattingly, etc. It doesn’t make sense to bring in first-time candidates from other organizations. The obvious choice is right under the Astros nose. His butt print already is on the bench.
With Espada, owner Crane wouldn’t have to pay moving expenses to pack up his family, hire Three Hunks and a Truck and look for a home in Houston. From all indications, the players like and respect Espada. He’s been an eyewitness to the Astros current dynasty. There would be no learning curve, no need to wear a tag that says, “Hello, my name is Joe Espada.”
Every other candidate for the job would bring unknowns and question marks. Espada checks all the boxes. The Astros should play the chalk and hire Espada now so general manager Brown can start finding money to keep reliever Hector Neres and look for lefty bat. Spring training is, yikes, only three months away.
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Rockets stumble as Grizzlies snatch victory in controversial finish
Jan 31, 2025, 12:11 pm
Thursday night's one point loss at Memphis aside, what a run the Houston Rockets have been enjoying. Within a two week stretch the Rockets beat the last two NBA Champions (winning on the road in Denver and Boston), and twice beat the Cleveland Cavaliers who have the best record in the league this season and against all other teams are 39-7. Yes, the Nuggets were without Nikola Jokic in their loss to the Rockets but don’t nitpick. Entering February with a 32-15 record exceeds even optimistic preseason hopes. The preseason betting line for the Rockets' season win total was 43, give or take a game. They are on pace to win 55.
In the 2022-23 season the Rockets completed a three-year run as an on-court laughingstock with a 22-60 record. That tied for the second worst record in the NBA, following seasons of 20-62 and 17-55 which each were the worst record in the league. It was an embarrassing stretch for a proud franchise. The Rockets had just three losing seasons total in the 36 seasons prior to their recent three years in the toilet. Following the ‘22-’23 slog, the Rockets’ cross their fingers really hard hope was to win the draft lottery where the unquestioned grand prize was Victor Wembanyama. Alas, the Rockets drew only the fourth pick on lottery night. “Wemby” hasn’t disappointed the San Antonio Spurs at all, and in this his second season he stands a strong chance of winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award.Prevailing sentiment had point guard “Scoot” Henderson as the second-best prospect in the ‘23 draft. The Charlotte Hornets took forward Brandon Miller at number two because they already had LaMelo Ball at point guard. The Portland Trail Blazers then took Henderson at three. Would the Rockets have taken him at number two or three? We don’t know with certainty. Other than for laughs they have no reason to admit they'd have selected "Scoot," any more than Nick Caserio would have to admit the Texans’ would have drafted Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud if they had picked first not second in the 2023 NFL draft. What we do know is the Rockets picked Amen Thompson fourth. Amen to that.
Thompson individually best mirrors the Rockets’ rapid rise from mediocre last season (41-41) to legitimate contender. Thompson was the fourth pick in his draft class, after the Rockets took Jabari Smith third the year before, with Jalen Green the second overall pick the year before that. It was Smith’s broken hand in early January that spurred head coach Ime Udoka to insert Thompson into the starting lineup. I’m guessing neither Thompson nor Smith know the story of Wally Pipp (or perhaps Lou Gehrig either), but how can Udoka put Smith back in the starting lineup? The race is on for which in hindsight will be general manager Rafael Stone’s greater move, taking Thompson at four or swinging the post-draft trade that netted 2021 number 16 selection Alperen Sengun. Sengun Thursday night was named an All-Star game reserve for the first time. One can envision Thompson joining Sengun on an All-Star squad as soon as next season. Credit to Jalen Green for some improvement this season, but the idea that he has made a huge leap and should have made the All-Star game is silly. Green has stretches where hot shooting combines with his explosiveness to make him look like a star, but that is not his body of work. Green’s shooting percentages remain below average from the floor overall and from behind the three-point line.
The Rockets are second in the Western Conference while getting essentially nothing from the third pick in last June’s draft, guard Reed Sheppard. He’s just 20 years old and there is no reason for a pure shooter to lose that skill before he can legally buy a beer, so bust talk is way premature. But Sheppard looked like a poor man’s Bryce Drew (that’s not a compliment) in his early season opportunities, overmatched physically with the game way too fast for him.
When you draft in the top four for four consecutive years, you’re supposed to assemble some stout talent. In consecutive drafts the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder picked Kevin Durant (at number two), Russell Westbrook (at number four), and James Harden (at number three). Success is no given however even with a raft of high lottery picks. The Minnesota Timberwolves in successive drafts selected third, fifth and sixth the same year, fourth, and second. Their “haul” was O.J. Mayo, Ricky Rubio/Jonny Flynn, Wesley Johnson, and Derrick Williams. Yikes.
The current iteration of the Thunder is obviously the best team in the Western Conference, but until OKC breaks through and wins a conference title, it’s not unreasonable to think OKC can be had in a best-of-seven. That the Rockets make the list of teams who wouldn’t require a miracle to topple the Thunder is a phenomenal development.
Still counting down to the start of spring training, but we have taken no offseason from discussing the Astros. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for a New Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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