Houston Astros...WTF!?

by user ASwaff

After the Texas Rangers announced today that they had fired manager Buck Showalter, I became optimistic that the Houston Astros would also get wise and fire Phil Garner. No such luck.

Phil Garner

Far from firing Garner, the Astros actually announced today that they have signed Garner to another contract extention, retaining his services through the 2008 season. It's stunning to me, considering the Astros needed to win 11 of their last 13 games in September just to finish two games above .500. Were it not for that run which placed them abruptly into playoff contention, we'd be talking about what a miserable failure their season was.

As if finishing two games above .500 and missing the playoffs the year after reaching the World Series is somehow a success. I like how the Associated Press framed the Astros season. Said they, "The Astros were virtually the same team that reached the World Series last season, but they went 53-69 between a 19-9 start and a 10-2 finish."

What's even more confusing, however, is not who the Astros decided to keep, but who they decided to let go. Even though their pitching has been the only aspect of their game that's been successful the last two seasons, the Astros released pitching coach Jim Hickey, while retaining hitting coach Sean Berry. Am I the only one that's starting to see a pattern of totally illogical decisions?

Releasing Hickey is a heck of a way for the 'Stros to show their loyalty to a man that spent 14 years as a coach in their minor league system before being promoted to the Bigs in 2004. It's also a heck of a thing to do when the Astros, despite playing in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball, finished this season with the NL's second-lowest ERA (4.08) and tied with the New York Mets for the most shutouts (12).

Since taking over mid-season in 2004, Garner has accumulated a 219-179 record for just a .550 winning percentage. And, if you take away their hot finish at the end of 2004, he is just 171-153 in two full seasons as the Astros skipper. That's a win percentage of .528. Signing an extension with a coach with numbers like that, the Astros have set their sights on mediocrity and are running toward that goal with blinders on.

I'll be interested to see how the front office feels about this move next year when Garner doesn't have Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte to bail him out of his gross mis-management of this team.

Date

Wed 10/04/06, 12:38 pm EST

J CunninghamVarsity Captain

1152 days ago

Score 0

What I loved was how the pitching coach got the axe. Shouldn't it have been the hitting coach who got fired, seeing as how Houston stunk it up offensively all season? I saw no reason to let the pitching coach go--after all, he's got Clemens, Oswalt, and Pettite, but even they won't win if the team doesn't score.

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ASwaffAll-American

1151 days ago

Score -1

I was stunned they let Hickey go, but I wasn't stunned they kept the hitting coach. They fired their old hitting coach mid-season, so Berry's only been on the job for a few months. I think Berry was a bad pick in the first place, though. Their problem with Gary Gaetti was that he was a hit in any count, don't be afraid of strikeouts kind of hitter, and he coached that way, too. Berry was the exact same kind of hitter when he played, so I don't know why they'd think his coaching would be an upgrade.

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The BeastAAA-er

1151 days ago

Score 1

The Astros seem to feel that every year, they can sleep walk all the way to August, start playing better, win the wild car, and go far in the postseason. That motto has to change.

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ASwaffAll-American

1151 days ago

Score -1

I agree, Beast. And it didn't used to be that way. Until that magical run in 2004, they played a full season. I think part of the problem is the way that Phil Garner manages. He subs players way too much, often squandering his bullpen and his bench by the ninth inning. So, should it be a surprise that they play so much better when he has an expanded roster to play with? Again, it seems to me that the Astros are dealing with a managerial problem.

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