Spoiler FINAL RESULTS Would you approve of the Astros hiring Joe Espada to be manager? (2,844 votes) Yes 72.7% No 27.3% Would you approve of the Astros hiring Jeff Banister to be manager? (3,170 votes) Yes 63% No 37% Would you approve of the Astros hiring Dusty Baker to be manager? (4,232 votes) Yes 58.7% No 41.3% Would you approve of the Astros hiring John Gibbons to be manager? (3,238 votes) Yes 42.8% No 57.2% Would you approve of the Astros hiring Buck Showalter to be manager? (3,033 votes) Yes 42.8% No 57.2% Would you approve of the Astros hiring Eduardo Perez to be manager? (2,366 votes) Yes 40.4% No 59.6% Would you approve of the Astros hiring Will Venable to be manager? (2,487 votes) Yes 38.6% No 61.4% Would you approve of the Astros hiring Brad Ausmus to be manager? (8,035 votes) Yes 37.8% No 62.2%
Baker scares me. We don’t need a manager that overuses his pitchers considering we have two aging aces and a young one coming off TJ. Gasoline meet match
Wow, nearly double the votes of any other option to say NO to Ausmus. That's a good sign. I saw in the paper that he'd been interviewed, and he'd just be a terrible idea. Even before he pissed on Jake last year. Whoever we get as manager must not muck with our pitching. Hinch's best attribute, IMO, was his conscientiousness about trying to keep his pitching staff healthy and not overworked. Can we also hire some top notch batting coaching while we're at it? The innumerable zero- and one-run games of the past two seasons still haunt me.
Crane said he would narrow his list down to about 3 by the end of this week. Wonder if he will conduct second interviews with his finalists...
Managers can change. Hinch changed. Hopefully Strom should run the pitching staff regardless of who manages. I’m no Dusty fan, but he’s had some great teams and don’t well getting the most out of lineups.
I thought Lunhow was going to be the first guy to have an IPad manage a baseball team. I’d still choose that over Ausmus.
Any young Manager that is really social and friendly to players, well spoken, intelligent should be hired. Is Brian McCann available?
Honestly the more I think of it; the more I like Bannister. I have to forget about hating him as a manager. The first goal is win the AL West. Banister knows this extremely well. We need somebody who is going to speak up and defend the players. That’s Banister. lastly ... there could be some brawls this year... Banister can fight. I’m all in on Banister being the best fit.
Managing this group of talent isn't rocket science. Developing personal relationships is important but not keeping anyone at the club if someone else offers more money in FA. a shrewd GM is far more important than a manager right now.
1. Will Venable 2. Mark Kotsay 3. Joe Espada 4. Jeff Banister 5. Dusty Baker 6. Eduardo Perez Not that my preferences matter (@J.R. ) but I want someone smart, innovative and not getting a social security check. Venable and Kotsay are both bright and young. Espada knows the team and is competent. Perez is a moron but harmless. Dusty gets his teams to play hard. Ausmus is a disaster.
I guess I am in the minority in that I would be totally fine with Dusty Baker at the helm. The Astros do have one of the best pitching coaches in the history of the game and I would imagine that Strom would have full control over the staff. Not to mention two vets like Verlander and Greinke sitting in the dugout. Banister would probably be my other top choice, but I don't know if his demeanor is exactly what Crane is looking for in this unique situation. Kotsay intrigues me a little bit and I'd have to consider him, but the rest of the guys are a no-go for me.
