Houston Astros appear to be slow playing managerial hire, this could be why
PRESENTED BY COORS LIGHT
08 November 2023
The MLB offseason is in full swing with several teams hiring their new managers over the last several days. Craig Counsell is joining the Cubs and resetting the manager market, making $8 million per season.
The Mets are reportedly hiring Carlos Mendoza this week, and the Guardians opted to hire Stephen Vogt. So with all this movement taking place, what are the Astros doing on the manager front?
Dana Brown spoke with the media last week and said the team had not interviewed any candidates, and that might begin at the GM meetings this week. But why is this taking so long? Aren't they concerned that the top choices won't be available at this pace?
Are the Astros taking their sweet time because they already know who they want to hire? Bob Nightengale recently reported that Brown is in favor of promoting Astros bench coach Joe Espada. However, Nightengale also reported Jim Crane might be looking to make a splash with a bigger name.
So what's the holdup? Finding a bigger name to manage could get tougher by the day, with most teams much further along in the hiring process. And who would even be a big name in this hiring cycle?
We all heard reports about Dusty Baker and Dana Brown not seeing eye to eye on playing time for Yainer Diaz and Chas McCormick. Dusty Baker had the power to set the lineup how he saw fit, and Baker won a power struggle over former GM James Click last year.
With all this in mind, how much power does the Astros GM really have if he can't influence lineup decisions and hire his top choice for manager?
Is all this a dog and pony show for the club to eventually hire Brad Ausmus? Who many believe Jeff Bagwell would like to see hired. Or will Joe Espada get the gig?
Be sure to watch the video above as we examine what's really going on with the Astros manager search.
And subscribe to SportsMapHouston on YouTube for our latest videos.
Presented by Coors Light.
Here are Houston Astros glaring advantages to maximize success ahead of postseason
Sep 16, 2024, 4:31 pm
The Houston Astros are headed to San Diego to face the Padres, maintaining a 4.5-game lead over the Mariners in the AL West. With just 13 games remaining in the season, winning the division isn’t guaranteed yet. However, it would take a major surge from Seattle paired with a significant collapse from Houston for the standings to shift.
The Astros starting pitching has been leading the way, and with Spencer Arrighetti, Hunter Brown, and Framber Valdez slated to start against the Padres, you have to like Houston's chances even against a quality club like San Diego.
Speaking of pitching, should the Astros go on to win the division, it will be interesting to see who pitches Game 3 of the first playoff series. We know Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown will pitch Games 1 and 2.
The clock is ticking for JV
It appears the Astros will give Justin Verlander every chance to win that assignment, but at this point, it's hard to justify his place on the playoff roster. He's clearly the team's sixth-best starter as of today.
Remember me?
Ronel Blanco reminded everyone of what he's capable of against the Angels over the weekend. While Justin Verlander was only decent against the Halos.
The Astros 3rd postseason starter will likely be determined by the opponent. But if we're just listing the pitchers we have the most confidence in right now, Yusei Kikuchi is at the top of the list. Arrighetti oozes with upside, but there's significant downside with him as well. You typically know very early in the game which version of Arrighetti you're going to get.
To be fair, Kikuchi doesn't have much postseason experience. But he's certainly pitched in more high stakes games than Arrighetti at this point in his career. Blanco will be the wild card to watch here, as he was the club's best starting pitcher for the first half of the season.
King Tuck
Finally, we're starting to feel good about Kyle Tucker. He appears to be getting healthy just in the nick of time.
Don't miss the video above as we examine all the advantages the Astros hold over the final stretch of the season, and much more!
Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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