This is for information for the Astros managerial changes. Post any related stories, rumors etc. Here. i will update the title to reflect any hiring or major news.
Stolen from another board ... Article mentions several candidates Astros are considering ... http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2009/10/02/sports/nh1516119.txt Indians analysis: Special tools needed for rebuilding Published: Friday, October 2, 2009 By Jim Ingraham In considering who the Indians will be considering as candidates to become their next manager, start with this: 1.) Who would they like to talk to? And 2.) Who would like to talk to them? In order to be a viable candidate, an individual would have to fit into both categories. Not everyone does. There are only 30 of these jobs in the world, so they are coveted. But there are degrees of attractiveness connected with each of them, and the Indians' job right now is in the bottom half of the major leagues in terms of curb appeal. Why? Because the Indians aren't going to win next year. They are in, if not a total rebuild, a significant one. And there is some urgency here. If they aren't winning by 2011 they will lose their best player, Grady Sizemore, who will be traded a year ahead of his free agency. It's a mid-market franchise with ownership of limited financial means, and an abysmal track record for drafting and developing home-grown talent. That makes building a contender difficult and sustaining one nearly impossible. In other words, this is not a job for a manager with weak knees. He will be asked to win, as quickly as possible, with a paucity of resources. The perception is the Indians would prefer to go outside the organization for their next manager, and they'd prefer him to have some previous major-league managerial experience. Can they find someone who fits on both counts? Are they willing to pay the going rate for an experienced major league manager? Those are unanswerable questions for now. But for the sake of discussion, here, listed alphabetically, are some individuals who have some of the qualities that might attract the interest of Indians officials. These are not confirmed candidates, but they seem to fit the profile. Sandy Alomar Jr., Mets bullpen coach: Has zero managing experience, but an obvious Cleveland connection, instant popularity, and a passion for the game. Don Baylor, Rockies hitting coach: Tremendous presence and respect within the game, and plenty of managerial experience (nine years) with the Rockies and Cubs. Tim Bogar, Red Sox first base coach: As manager at Akron in 2006 and 2007, he managed several of the players on the Indians' current roster, and was the Eastern League Manager of the Year in 2006. Chip Hale, Diamondbacks third base coach: Considered a manager-in-waiting for some organization. Interviewed for the Seattle job that went to John Wakamatsu. Arizona GM Josh Byrnes, a former Indians assistant GM and scouting director, and Arizona manager A.J. Hinch, who went to spring training with the Tribe in 2003, both have ties to Mark Shapiro. Glenn Hoffman, Padres third base coach: Tons of experience: 11 years as a major-league coach, managed the Dodgers for part of the 1998 season, and five years as a minor-league manager. Would likely get an endorsement from Padres manager and longtime Shapiro buddy Buddy Black. Clint Hurdle: He would be a tough sell since the Rockies took off after they fired him this year. But Hurdle took the Rockies to the World Series in '07, and Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd, Shapiro's former mentor with the Indians, despite firing Hurdle still thinks highly of him, which would carry weight with Shapiro. Tony Pena, Yankees bench coach: An ex-Indian, he was Manager of the Year in 2003 for guiding the Royals to their only winning season since 1994. The Indians have several young Latin players on their roster, which might make Pena attractive. Willie Randolph, Brewers bench coach: His messy exit as manager of the Mets was preceded by 11 years as a coach with the Yankees under Joe Torre. Ted Simmons, Padres bench coach: A little older (59), but he's done everything in the game. He was the Pirates' GM the last time they had a winning season, in 1992. More importantly, he was a scout for the Indians and a special assistant to GM John Hart through most of the Tribe's glory years in the '90s. Alan Trammell, Cubs bench coach: He has the credibility of being an All-Star during his playing days. But he also had a disastrous three-year run as manager of the Tigers, including an epic 119-loss season in 2003, which was probably behind his recent declaration that he "wants to be a little pickier'' about his next managing job. Gary Varsho, Pirates bench coach: A coordinator in the Indians' minor-league system in 2007, the Phillies' bench coach for five years prior to that, and a Phillies minor league manager for five years before that.
I don't like Dave Duncan. I'd prefer Jim Fregosi. What's Jimy Williams up to these days? Maybe we could bring Milo Hamilton out of the booth. He's been calling games for over 1,000 years. He should know something by now. Just in case some of you can't detect sarcasm today...
Sources: Marlins keeping Gonzalez http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4536066 Fredi Gonzalez will return as the Florida Marlins manager in 2010, sources said. Owner Jeffrey Loria met with organization officials Monday in New York to discuss the status of Gonzalez and his coaching staff. The Marlins failed to make the playoffs, although they finished 12 games above .500 with the smallest payroll in baseball. Earlier this week, sources said Bobby Valentine had been in communication with the Marlins and other teams as he pursues a possible return to managing in the major leagues. Gonzalez, who is under contract through 2011, has managed the Marlins the last two seasons after replacing Joe Girardi, and Florida has contended in both years. But earlier this week, Florida team president David Samson would not specifically guarantee that Gonzalez would be be retained. "As we looked at the performance at things that happened, games that went one way, games that went another way, there is no question we felt we should have been a playoff team," Samson said during Sunday's Marlins-Phillies game. Valentine, 59, has managed the Texas Rangers for eight seasons and the Mets from 1996-2002, and over the last six seasons he has managed the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan. Valentine recently returned to ESPN as a baseball analyst. He is a possible candidate for openings with both the Cleveland Indians and Washington.
I heard a rumor that, despite what Ed Wade has said, Craig Biggio, Brad Ausmus and, even, Jeff Bagwell are in the mix. There are rumblings that all three would come to the Astros as a package deal .
Isn't Tony LaRussa's contract up with St. Louis? How about we just grab him and Dave Duncan in a package deal. If we can't get Tony, just Dave will be fine. But in all realism, I doubt we'll get Duncan -- he'll go where Tony goes, and Tony ain't going anywhere.
Many reports that he's (Duncan) pretty pissed off at the organization for a number of reasons, including trading his son. If La Russa re-signs, it's not a given at this point that Duncan stays.
But it does mention several candidates the Astros are considering (Just in how they stack up in the Cleveland search)
I have seen Tony Pena mentioned elsewhere. IIRC, Clint Hurdle was considered in the past. Jimy Williams beat him out.
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/sports/mlb/091006_astros_manager_update HOUSTON - The Houston Astros search for a new manager will heat up later this week when owner Drayton McLane arrives in Houston from a business trip. General Manager Ed Wade has compiled a list of candidates he will begin working with, but has not divulged any names he is considering. After numerous discussions with Major League Baseball sources FOX 26 Sports has compiled a list of candidates that may closely mirror who the Astros will consider bringing in for interviews. No one in the Astros organization confirmed these names and the order of our list has no significance. Potential Astros Candidates for Manager: Ned Yost: Former Brewers manager who ran the Milwaukee team for six years and won nearly 49 percent of his games. Manny Acta: Former Washington Nationals manager. He was there for nearly three years. Acta signed with the Astros as a player and also coached in the Houston organization for many years. Jim Fregosi: Fregosi has managed four teams and they were the California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Philaldephia Phillies, and Toronto Blue Jays. He was a candidate when the Astros were searching for a manager eight years ago. Bob Melvin: Former manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners. He was the National League Manager of the Year in 2007. Eric Wedge: Former manager of the Cleveland Indians where he was on the job for seven years. He was the American League Manager of the Year in 2007. Dave Clark: Houston Astros Interim Manager. "The fact that I'm a part of the process makes it a heck of a lot easier," Clark said Tuesday in an interview with FOX 26 Sports from his home in Memphis, Tenn. "I know they are doing what they have to do to try to find the best man for the job. I am honored at the fact of being one of the guys." Since ending his career as a player Clark has worked ten years as coach with the goal of some day being a big league manager. "I feel like I'm prepared for it," Clark said. "I feel like I can do the job and all I need is an opportunity." Clark took over on an interim-basis when Cecil Cooper was fired with 13 games left in the season. Clark's record was 4-9. "I know they like the way the players responded," Clark said. "The way they went out and played hard, tried to do their best. I'm not saying they didn't do their best before, but they did see a difference in the clubhouse. They saw a difference in the way the players were playing on the field. "Granted the wins and losses weren't where we would have liked for them to be, but the fact is you could see the effort. You could see that they were going after it and going about it the right way."
Cheers for that. None of those names really impress me. I still wouldn't mind getting Brad Ausmus as the manager. I hope Drayton waits until after the playoffs before making a decision. That way maybe Ausmus will get a shot at an interview.
