Buck Showalter and John Gibbons, Candidates For The Houston Astros Managerial Opening

By Jordan Long

The Houston Astros first full workout for Spring Training is February 17^th.  They play their first game of  Spring Training on February 22^nd.  Houston is looking for their 3^rd straight American League Central Division title.  Before that can happen, they are interviewing candidates for their managerial opening.

                The Astros let go of A.J. Hitch on January 14^th after a Major League Baseball investigation for sign stealing in 2017 and 2018.  The Astros used a camera feed from center field to a television behind the dugout.  Here they could decipher the catcher’s signs to tell which pitch was coming.  They relayed this information to the players in the dugout who could then hit a trash can to let the batter know what pitch was called.  This violated the rules on how teams can use technology during MLB games.  Hitch let this happen and didn’t stop it.  He was suspended from Major League Baseball for a year and the Astros decided to terminate his contract.

                Hitch was an impressive 481-329 during his 5 years in Houston.  The Astros ended up in the playoffs 4 times, twice advancing to the World Series.  They won the World Series in 2017 when they beat the L.A. Dodgers in 7 games.  The Astros are looking for a manager to fill these shoes.

                There are two candidates Houston has talked to who have managerial experience, Buck Showalter and John Gibbons.  Showalter has 20 years of managerial knowledge with the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles.  His teams made the postseason 5 times but didn’t advance past the American League or National League Championship Series.  His overall record as a manager is 1,551-1,517 a winning percentage of .506.

                Gibbons was with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2004 to 2018.  In those seasons, the Blue Jays went to the postseason twice.  Toronto advanced to the American League Championship Series in 2015 and 2016.  They were knocked out in both years.  In 2015 they dropped the series to the Kansas City Royals in 6 games.  In 2016 they lost in 5 games to the Cleveland Indians. Overall the Blue Jays went 793-789 under Gibbons, a winning percentage of .501.

                The Astros have work to do to replace Hitch.  Showalter and Gibbons are perfect replacements.  They know how to win at the MLB level and help their teams reach the postseason.  The Astros are going to meet with other candidates. They should stick with someone who has managerial skill at the MLB level.