After firing Bo Porter earlier this month, the Houston Astros needed a new manager to bring them into 2015 and beyond. Their choice is reportedly former Arizona Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch, who also worked in the front office for the Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres.
Source: AJ Hinch close to becoming new Astros manager
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) September 29, 2014
The 40-year old Hinch’s first go as a manager in Arizona was a disaster, as the club went just 89-123 in his year and a half stint with the team before his firing in 2010. Before his hiring as manager with the Diamondbacks, Hinch was their farm director and later, the club’s director of player development. He worked as the VP of pro scouting for the Padres most recently before resigning in August.
His history with both scouting and analytics seemingly makes him the ideal fit for the Astros. Then again, Porter was talked about as an ideal fit two years ago, so let’s see if Hinch is actually different.
