Coaching/Front Office Hires & Promotions 2023

Does your friend have any other friends? He doesn’t sound like much fun at parties.

Be weary of titles in baseball now. There used to be clearly defined titles but that just isn’t the case in baseball anymore.
I really like both Brown and Harris a lot. Both have had a lot of success in scouting and developing and maintaining the minor league system and player development.

When it comes to responsibilities with their respective teams, it is close to even. I haven’t spoken to either of them and don’t know their personalities outside of what I have heard over the last handful of years.

Brown is known as opinionated and at times fiery and not afraid to go against the flow. He has also developed his own “rules” on scouting and player development that are used by the Braves. While he doesn’t make the decisions on trades, he does discuss them with other teams and he does have some input. He is a bridge between the modern and traditional baseball mindset.

Harris is primarily known for his ability to think outside the box and adaptability. He is confident and not afraid to try new things. He has been a very successful scout and also is largely responsible for the Indians minor league protocols and develops pitching.

They are probably the two top non GM candidates in baseball. There is Flores with the Cardinals and someone with the Rays… but we already have had people from those systems lead the franchise. The Dodgers have a couple of guys but they already do things very similar to the Astros, just with a bigger budget.

Yeah the Astros have spoken to Brad Ausmus at least several times about the job. He was someone that they spoke to early. I have no clue if he is the leader or not, because that isn’t something that Crane really discusses from what I have been told - Crane and no one else will make that decision and it isn’t something he debates externally.

Also, yes, I cannot prove it and it is an assumption - but I believe Bagwell played a part in Ausmus being discussed. However, keep in mind that Crane has talked to a lot of people about the role. He speaks to Biggio, Berkman and Cabell and others outside the organization about the team and job in general terms. He even discusses it with professional golfers he is friends with… he is someone that seems to talk to a lot of people, gets lots of information and then makes his own decision and so far, isn’t heavily influenced by those around him. Let’s see what happens.

Yes, they have spoken to him and Mike Fast but that is all I know -

( question about Sig Mejdal)

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I absolutely respect this way of doing things. On a far smaller scale, when I had important decisions to make, I talked to a lot of people I trusted to be honest with me. I wanted opinions, not direction, and then I made my own decision. If decisions in my life did not turn out well, I have no one to blame but me.

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I haven’t read clutchfans.net since the Rockets were last good but I looked the other day and they have a nice Astros discussion forum. I saw a poster with the handle Nook saying the same things as your “friend”. I’m curious, is Nook your “friend”?

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Yes.

I wasn’t sure what the ethics were about revealing his handle or the site.

I have tried to be as open as possible regarding the posts I have reposted.

And I put friend in quotes because I have no idea who he is and do not know him but it was easiest way to differentiate from my own opinions.

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I think the link is misspelled.

What? Ethics? The internet?!?!? It’s okay to be considerate.

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Corrected it.

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try again! it’s .net

If I were on a Rockets forum I’d want to talk Astros too.

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Hey…settle down, Dallasite!

Sounds perhaps a bit more plausible…

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That does sound more plausible and perhaps it’s an opportunity for him to get some front office experience.

Has your hysteria calmed a bit?

More front office experience I suppose. Ausmus did actually spend 2 years in the Padres front office back in the early teens and another year in the Angels front office in '18.

Excerpts:

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Executives associated with other teams have wondered how much autonomy Houston’s new general manager will wield, especially after a winter when Crane and influential team adviser Jeff Bagwell engineered most of the Astros’ consequential moves.

Longtime Astros catcher Brad Ausmus appears to be in contention, too.

Though USA Today characterized [Dana] Brown as a “clear-cut front-runner” earlier this week, a person familiar with the search said no candidate has earned that distinction.

Crane…did say he has not asked the Milwaukee Brewers for permission to interview David Stearns.

Just back from the Houston Sports Awards event. Ausmus is not a popular selection….

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Also, it’s actually stunning how short Altuve is

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