A great deal of the offseason has focused on the Houston Astros and their sign-stealing scandal. It finally came to a head earlier this month when the team fired manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow.
On Tuesday, the Astros chose Dusty Baker as the team's next manager. During Tuesday's installment of "Nothing Personal with David Samson," David Samson weighed in on the decision to hire Baker and why the move was made.
"Dusty Baker's going to be in that dugout and get told what to do by a GM, someone who is his grandson's age?" Samson asked. "Is that the plan for you Jim Crane? Or did you hire Dusty Baker because you knew that Major League Baseball wanted there to be some level of credibility in that dugout? Where you knew you'd have to give control to someone like [Buck] Showalter, [John] Gibbons, someone that has managed before. But you also knew you were going to go minority. You also knew you wanted to go with someone that was a player's manager. Who can really make sure that the clubhouse is always good, who can keep out outside distractions."
Samson also pointed out that Baker has a reputation for not using analytics and the Astros are a franchise that is driven by analytics.
Now Baker will take over just a few weeks before spring training gets underway. Baker hasn't been in an MLB dugout since 2017, when he was relieved of his duties following a two-season tenure with the Washington Nationals. The veteran manager was considered by the Philadelphia Phillies for their managerial opening earlier this offseason, but the Phillies ultimately chose to go with former New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi for that post.
The Astros will certainly be under a big microscope this season after what was unearthed during the winter. Baker is going to attempt to keep the winning ways alive in Houston, but might not have been the best choice.
