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In the wake of an industry-rocking scandal that has seriously tarnished the team’s reputation among peers, the Astros appear to be turning to a professional.
Dusty Baker, the three-time NL manager of the year with 3,500 games of managing experience, including 10 years with the Giants, seems to be the choice to take over in Houston. USA Today reported he would be the franchise’s next manager on Tuesday, while The Athletic reported Baker is in discussions with the team with no deal completed yet.
Baker would immediately command respect from around the league for a team that has lost much after MLB found the team had used cameras to steal opposing teams’ signs during 2017 and ’18. The system brought down manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow, leaving an obvious leadership gap that it appears Baker will step into.
Baker’s son, Darren, tweeted a gif of the Astros celebrating before deleting it, presumably with the news not finalized.
Baker has not managed since being fired by the Nationals following a 97-65 2017 season. He will inherit a stacked roster that made it to last season’s World Series but also questions abounding concerning integrity.
