HOUSTON – The search for a new Houston Astros manager is well underway and owner Jim Crane is taking his time filtering through potential fits for his baseball team.
Filling the shoes of A.J. Hinch will not be an easy task but Crane is confident he can get the right guy for this job. One person being considered for the role is baseball veteran Dusty Baker.
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Baker has been around baseball for a long time. He was a successful player breaking into the big leagues at the age of 19 with the Atlanta Braves. Baker played eight years in Atlanta and then spent the next eight with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was a part of World Series championships. Baker then played one year with the Giants and two with the A’s before retiring as a player after the 1986 season.
For 22 years, Baker has managed in the major leagues and has done it at a very high level. From 1993 through 2002, he skippered the Giants including a trip to the World Series. From 2003 through 2006, he managed the Chicago Cubs and then on to the Reds from 2008 through the 2013 season. After two years away, he was back in the dugout in charge of the Washington Nationals in 2016 and 2017.
Now, two years removed he is back in contention to land the Astros job.
Baker has a calm demeanor and has long been considered a “player’s manager” much along the lines of how Hinch ran the team and his relationship with his players. Baker is hungry to return to the game and manage once again. He believes Houston would be a fit at a time where they need stability across the board.
Crane hopes to have a manager named by Feb. 3 or shortly after that. The Astros pitchers and catchers open spring training on Feb. 13.