Maldonado and Baker get praise and support as long as it works. I even put up for Baker and his handling of Maldonado - but made it clear, when you go against the grain, and go against the numbers, you have to come through or you are toast. Maldonado and Baker failed in fantastic fashion in games 6-7. Honestly, what upset me more than Maldonado starting was that Baker didn't switch Diaz out for him when the Astros were down in games. There were a number of times where Maldonado hit when the Astros had something happening and a chance to score, and Baker let Maldonado hit and harm or kill rallies. Baker will never admit it- but it was a mistake. He can come up with justifications but it was the wrong decision. Diaz will be behind the plate at least 100 games next year. If I ran the Astros, I would look at the possibility of dealing Abreu in a 2/3 team deal and getting Back Wilson Contreras. Diaz could be the primary catcher (100+ games) and have Contreras play the other 50+ games at catcher - with Diaz and Contreras swapping out at first base.
Brad Ausmus has always been lazy. He was lazy as a player as well. He is just bright, and gets his work done. That was fine when he was a catcher 20 years ago - that doesn't work as a manager. He made a lot of mistakes as a manager, especially with the Tigers. Everyone liked him and he was smart - so they assumed he would know what he was doing, but he did not even know some of the rules and he also did not do his homework like other managers and over time that started to matter. Ausmus with the Angels wasn't really much better from what I have been told and read over the years. With the Angels he really didn't do anything. He shut down the running game and just sat there. I would be disappointed if he got the job with Houston.
Don't agree on Abreu. We saw what a healthy Abreu can do and he's still hungry. I think finding a backup catcher even if it's a Maldy backup/player-coach deal is much easier than doing a trade like that.
Chas McCormick had an OPS of .842 -- that is good for Top 25 in all of MLB. He made a great catch in Game 5 last year, but he blossomed into a star this year. Yet Dusty, like a fool, still platooned him. Yainer Diaz' OPS was actually slightly higher than McCormick. And Dusty barely let him see the field in the playoffs... could have made the difference in winning that 1 extra game to get to the World Series. There really isn't any defending Dusty on these two points.
Almost every Employee search is like this. You find as many of the traits you require, but even the one you choose usually lacks something you thought they had.
I like Ron Washington the person quite a bit. I do not want him as our next manager. Let’s go younger.
I'm ready for someone younger than me to lead the Astros again. I would like to hear whether or not Berkman is even in the picture or not. Last I heard, he was at HBU/HCU, but at least still in baseball.
You once thought poorly about Hinch… By no means am I some sort of Ausmus fan… but I also don’t think you need to be staying up all night as a manager of this team, devising some intricate schemes or trying to out maneuver the other team every game. Maybe in the playoffs… but I would presume most managers could get that done if given the right staff/team. I do care about how a manager manages his pitchers (both starters and bullpen) and how he manages the clubhouse… especially one as ethnically diverse as the Astros. I know Hinch found that latter aspect challenging… whereas Baker was a little better at getting a mostly cohesive group together, despite obviously playing favorites. I still don’t think a players past locker room presence was should obviously write him off forever, just like I don’t feel guys who were considered the leaders (Biggio/Bagwell) should be given leadership roles. Joe Torre went from meh manager to a genius with the right team. Same with Hinch. Same with Maddon, who then became an idiot with the wrong team. I would expect Cash to go from genius to idiot in his next gig as well.
