Astros set to Name Bo Porter Manager

[The Cat]

Originally Posted by HillBoy Nothing of the sort Cat. I'm merely pointing out that the mere act of rebuilding in and of itself doesn't necessarily translate into the desired results (i.e. a playoff team). The key word you used here is "develop" and unless that actually comes to pass, it won't matter. It's far easier to screw up an organization (and believe me, the Houston franchises have that part down pat). It's a different matter altogether to actually put together a winning organization. The Astros haven't done that yet - they may eventually do so but I don't expect that to happen for at least 4 or 5 years.

Understood, but that 4-to-5 year time period is true no matter what league or division they're in. This is a franchise that needed to be completely ripped apart, and it only truly started in the second half of 2011 (Pence trade, new owner/GM). It takes time.

The other thing I'd point out to you, since you look at things from a historical standpoint, is that the Astros actually do have a positive rebuilding track record. The last time they committed to a true rebuild was the late 80s and early 90s, and it set the stage for an incredible 12 years. Honestly, from 1994 through 2005, there Astros were one of the three or four consistently-best organizations in all of MLB. The problem has been getting them to tear it down. Now that it's happening and a good GM is in place, I think there's more reason for optimism than there has been in a long time.

I don't like this move to the AL at all in part because of bulls*t way it was done and in part because of the severe competitive disadvantage it puts on an already woebegone franchise. Nothing I've seen to date suggests that they won't be just another Seattle or Kansas City in the AL West. That may well change in time but for now, that is the reality of the situation.

Right now, they're the Pirates (Pittsburgh's success this year notwithstanding) of the NL Central. Is being Seattle or Kansas City that much worse? No matter what division or league the Astros are in, they're not going to be good right now. The key is 2015 and later. And honestly, it's tough to make too many proclamations right now on what the AL West will look like then. These things are cyclical, and things like the massive contract LA gave to Pujols may end up hurting them a few years down the line.

Porter seems to be a great guy and all that but in the end he'll be judged on wins and losses just like Mills and without the talent to compete in about two years, folks here will be calling for his head just like they did with Mills. He not only has to win games with little to no talent in a tough division, he also has to somehow energize the fanbase by making the ALastros respectible. That's a tall order and I can't help but feel that he's a dead man walking.

The reason Mills was fired had little to do with people "calling for his head". You're right, if the team doesn't win (no matter the circumstance), there will always be a few casual fan idiots calling for the leader to be axed. But that has 0% to do with why the decision was made. Look across the organization - it's a bloodbath in essentially every department. Brad Mills was Ed Wade and Drayton McLane's guy. That's why he's gone.

Honestly, even if the Astros had overachieved all expectations this year and won 70+ games... I still don't think Mills stays, because the decision had little to do with temporary on-field success (or failure). Big picture, Jeff Luhnow wants his own staff that share his views and can be molded. With his guys now in place, there will be a much longer leash and a more patient evaluation process.

Mr. Fixit was the name Wade gave to himself and it stuck. I kind of think it's pretty descriptive for what he does. But Wade's history suggests that he has a shelf life. The only question that remains is whether or not Wade has managed to break the cycle with the Texans or will his history repeat itself. You can chose to ignore Wade's history all you want but it is what is. However, after watching the Cows under Jason Garrett, I have to conclude that Wade got jobbed by Jerral Jones because nothing much has really changed since he was let go.

The problem I have with your logic is that you always try and turn things into extremely broad patterns, instead of evaluating the specifics of a given situation. For example, with Wade defenses, all the "coaching" in the world can't do a lot if the talent isn't there to back it up. In several of his past situations, including Dallas, there was a decided shift in organizational philosophy to using high draft picks on offensive players, as well as age-related attrition on his defenses. Look at what happened in his later years in Dallas. 2008? Felix Jones. 2009? First rounder traded for Roy Williams. 2010? Dez Bryant.

That's not happening with the Texans. The defensive core is young and extremely talented, and they're still using high draft picks (Mercilus) to bolster depth. The "Mr. Fix It" tag does speak to his coaching, because he's consistently been able to do better things with similar personnel to his predecessors. But the idea that he's good at first, then magically gets "figured out", is both too simplistic and illogical. There are a lot of unrelated factors involved, but you miss them trying to tie everything together under one pessimistic umbrella.

[No Worries]

Originally Posted by The Cat Big picture, Jeff Luhnow wants his own staff that share his views and can be molded. With his guys now in place, there will be a much longer leash and a more patient evaluation process.

From the press conference clips, I also got the feeling that Jim Crane was looking for a particular type of manager.

[edwardc]

Originally Posted by Air Langhi I don't see any hope for next year. We have no real prospects coming up. We don't even have wandy or meyers, and we play in the AL west with three pretty good teams. This team is going to lose like 120 games next year.

Not about now its about the long haul.

[HoustonJames]

http://blog.chron.com/ultimateastros...go-as-manager/

Bo Porter isn’t afraid of rebuilding. He won’t back down from the American League and its loaded West Division. And while most of Major League Baseball sees the Astros as the game’s cheapest punching bag, the new manager already is gearing up for a fight — more than five months before the 2013 season begins. A proud and at times fiery Porter established Wednesday the first stage of his vision for a woeful Astros club that had a franchise-record 107 losses in 2012. He also has a new message for a young, starless team. MLB’s an unforgiving world, according to Porter, so step up and grow or be replaced. “Our preparation and our attention to detail will remain the same, regardless of what the roster is,” Porter said. “I am not going to get into number of wins or expectation of wins. What I will talk about is the process. … This is the major leagues. It is a production-driven business. “We will give you every opportunity to produce at the major league level.” Porter, who will be officially introduced during a Thursday news conference at Minute Maid Park, is a 16-year resident of Houston. He was formerly a third-base coach for Washington during a 98-win season that saw the Nationals narrowly fall to St. Louis in a National League Division Series. It has been only six days since the Cardinals ousted the Nats with a four-run ninth in a winner-take-all Game 5. While critics have spent the interim picking apart Davey Johnson’s late-inning managerial decisions, the Astros’ new clubhouse leader has been making key moves of his own. Working with Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and building on a process that began when the 40-year-old Porter first interviewed for the job, they are on the verge of finalizing a revamped coaching staff that might be announced this week. Building a step at a time “I’m completely excited about the staff. We have a few things that we’re working out on the back end,” said Porter. “Once we’re able to announce the full staff, we will definitely do that. “We’re basically trying to surround our players with people who have the ability to teach. Because obviously, we do have a young ball club, and there will be teachable moments and things that have to take place at the major league level. … On a whole, we’re putting together a staff that will be second to none in Major League Baseball.” Luhnow was equally excited about Porter’s staff, saying the new coaches likely will involve a mixture of 2012 Astros, people Porter’s known throughout a major league career that began in 1993 with the Chicago Cubs, and coaches from other teams. “The point of this year was to set up the foundation,” Luhnow said. “Now I think we’ve got almost the entire foundation set up. Obviously, the major league staff is another key piece to it … finishing off the front-office staff. Then we’ve got the core group of players. Now we’ve got to figure out where we add strategically to improve results (in 2013).” All about preparation A strong support staff won’t answer the Astros’ on-the-field problems, though. The club is still streamlining a farm system that became barren under previous management. Although Porter saw clear improvement in 2012 compared to 2011, he noted minor league-like teaching and motivation will form the core of his first year as a big league manager. “Whether you’re talking about the most talented player or a player with limited talent, the preparation remains the same,” Porter said. “It’s not like you’re looking at a player and saying, ‘Well, this guy is better than this guy, so I’m going to push this guy a little bit harder, and I’m not going to push (the other) guy.’ “Our preparation and our attention to detail will remain the same, regardless of what the roster is.” Porter wouldn’t have taken the Astros job without believing in a vision shared by owner Jim Crane and Luhnow. Porter expects the Astros will spend money during free agency if those players can contribute to the organization’s long-term goals. Conceding nothing And while the AL powerhouses are expected to dominate the rebuilding Astros for at least two seasons, Porter isn’t conceding anything. “I don’t look at Major League Baseball or any division and say one division is tougher than another division,” he said. “You look from the National League to the American League — any team on any given day can beat another team because it’s professional baseball.” Twitter: @ChronAstros

[J.R.]

2 coaches brought back, 2 new added to Bo Porter's staff. 2 more to be added within the next week to ten days.

John Mallee - hitting coach
Doug Brocail - pitching coach
Dave Trembley - Coach(role TBD)
Dave Clark - Coach(role TBD)

Bench Coach Joe Pettini will not return.
Senior Adviser to Baseball Ops Matt Galante will not return.
Strength & Conditioning coach Gene Coleman will not return.

Former MLB player Quinton McCracken named Director of Player Development, formerly held by Fred Nelson. Nelson offered to stay in a different capacity.

Allen Rowin promoted to Assistant Director of Player Development.

[juicystream]

Dave Clark is bulletproof.

[tellitlikeitis]

Pretty much took the words right out of my mouth.

[J.R.]

Tim Bogar turned down offer to be Astros bench coach

Tim Bogar is said to have turned down the offer to become the Astros' bench coach because Houston wanted it written into a multi-year offer that he couldn't interview for managerial jobs that might arise elsewhere, sources familiar with the situation say.

[PhiSlammaJamma]

Will we even make it to third base?