Today, the Houston Astros named former catcher Brad Ausmus as the 21st manager in franchise history.
Forgive me if I’m less than enthused.
That isn’t to say I don’t want Ausmus to be successful, of course I do. It’s just that there is nothing exciting about hiring a retread manager simply because he used to play for your team. There is no sizzle. No pizazz. No excitement. No……anything.
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That doesn’t mean it can’t work. It worked for the Yankees before the 1996 season when they hired Joe Torre. Torre was a journeyman manager who never won anywhere. The media called him “Clueless Joe”. Fans lit up the phone lines on WFAN in NY lamenting the move, questioning if owner George Steinbrenner had lost his mind. Some wanted him to sell the team. Torre then went on to lead baseball’s biggest dynasty since the 1950s and become a Hall of Fame manager.
So it’s possible. It’s just hard to envision.
It’s hard to envision because the Astros major league roster needs a lot of work. It’s hard to envision because Brad Ausmus hasn’t had much success as a manager in the past. Ausmus’ Tigers drastic underperformance in 2017 led to the Astros being able to acquire Justin Verlander and win their first World Series title. Ausmus was one and done with the Angels in 2019, a season which saw the tragic death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs and a horrifying scandal of team employees running a drug ring, with tainted drugs leading to the young pitcher’s death.
Understand I’m not blaming Ausmus for Skaggs’ death, but pointing out it happened under his watch. It’s the kind of thing that haunts someone. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
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What does Ausmus really bring to the table? He’s not the “big splash” hire that Jim Crane was reported to have wanted. He’s not a name that excites the fan base. No player in baseball just saw Ausmus sign in Houston and decided this is their new destination city. He certainly doesn’t have some sort of ‘winning pedigree’.
So what separated Ausmus from the field? What made him better than a future Hall of Famer in Albert Pujols? Pujols, who was known for being another manager on the field, whose baseball IQ is off the charts, who was known as an intense competitor. Pujols, who would be going into the Hall of Fame while managing your team. A man who any player would actually want to play for. A man who is desperately seeking an opportunity to manage. What made Ausmus better than Pujols?
What made Ausmus better than another former Astros player in Morgan Ensberg? Ensberg has had significant success managing in the Tampa Bay Rays system, one of the best systems in baseball. The Astros view the Rays’ system as the type of system they want to replicate, and Ensberg has shown he can relate to young players and get the most out of them, as well as be a part of a system that highly values analytics. The Astros team philosophy seems to be heading back towards a more analytical background and cycling more young players.
It all keeps coming back to one thing. Ausmus has a great relationship with Astros Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, who has earned the ear of Crane. It seems the Astros passed up Big Splash for Controllable. Ausmus’ friendship with Bagwell would lead us to believe he’s willing to be another brick in the wall. Another cog in the machine. Do what he’s told, or at least put up minimal resistance.
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While perhaps getting the job because he has the right friends and seems like he would be easier to control by management/ownership won’t excite anyone, he still has the chance to make the most of it.
His success is still tied to the construction of the roster, and he doesn’t have control over that.
