(Added Note: B/c the referenced article is poorly titled - appearing to rehash the stale topic of cheating - most Astros fans may well blow it off. It reveals how Ludnow impacted the quality of Astros players - and benefited other teams. An interesting read!)
B/c the emotions and hatred are deep - due in no small part to his demeanor and ill-treatment of people - this thought-provoking article may not get a complete reading, much less any traction.
But the numbers clearly reveal the “Luhnow impact” on
“the processes by which Houston would procure talent.”
Compare the number of ML players - many followed in this thread - originally signed by the Astros during & since Luhnow.
The “Ex-Astros” thread abounds w/ references to active ML players and Blummer & TK often discuss the rich harvest the Astros have reaped in S. America signings, it may well have been acknowledged and I missed it.
My tinfoil hat theory all along has been that powerful enemies (NY, Bos, LAD) wanted Lunhow gone because he was disruptive to the status quo AND winning.
The Astros simply provided their own rope to hang themselves.
He was an arrogant prick who was put up with because he had positive results. He’d most likely still be here if not for Fiers and Taubman. Or if some other shit came to light.
But, as the Marino Dauphins were preparing for a or another SB, one of their star receivers admitted:
Humility is just a pass away…
The last three games have been a dose of humility for our Astros and us fans. Humility can be an antidote to arrogance and being a jerk. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be a death sentence.
No secret that new leaders need their own “team” with a shared vision especially when swift changes are mandated. (Likely more than a few here have experienced job loss through something like this. It hurts, but it also is not necessarily a death sentence.)
The question asked in the article is whether there is a place for him, while suggesting there are apparently teams that may well need him - (added) though perhaps with a “lighter touch.”
I could definitely see a team take a flyer on him.
There have been a lot of copycats piling up losses to stockpile draft picks. More than a few of them won’t hit the jackpot in the draft, and won’t have the organizational overhaul the Astros did.
When they get spit out at least one will turn to Lunhow.
Alternatively the Mets could hire him after a few more PR disasters and non-playoff seasons.
I don’t see the value in hiring Luhnow in particular, given his baggage. Maybe Cohen does it just because Cohen is an asshole. But business school types are a dime a dozen in baseball these days, and Luhnow isn’t that special anymore.