The Houston Astros reached an agreement to hire Dusty Baker as their new manager on Wednesday. Baker will sign a one-year deal with the Astros with a club option for a second year, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Baker was chosen from a field of nine candidates that included Buck Showalter, John Gibbons, Jeff Banister, and Brad Ausmus. At 70 years old, Baker is the oldest manager in the league. He is the third-oldest person in MLB history to be hired as a manger, joining Casey Stengel (71) and Jack McKeon (80).
Baker replaces A.J. Hinch after Hinch was fired for the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal. Since 2018, Baker had been a special advisor to San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer, working in baseball and business operations.
“I’m extremely thankful for this opportunity,” Baker said. “This is a great ballclub with outstanding players that know how to win. I applaud Jim Crane for the leadership he has shown in recent weeks and look forward to working with him and the players to bring a championship to the City of Houston.”
Houston: You have a new manager. Dusty Baker signs a one-year deal with 2021 option to lead #Astros. Here are statements from owner Jim Crane and Baker. pic.twitter.com/Kd8DAsUw03
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 29, 2020
Baker is a good choice to be the Astros’ new manager. He has 22 years of experience as a manager and has been named National League Manager of the Year three times. He is 15th on the all-time wins list with a 1,863-1,636 record and won the National League pennant with the Giants in 2002.
Even though he led the Giants to the World Series in 2002 and has led other teams to the playoffs, Baker hasn’t won a World Series.
With the Astros, Baker will have the chance to win a World Series title, which has eluded him his entire career. The Astros won 107 games last year but lost the World Series to the Washington Nationals. If Baker has the Astros in the playoffs this year, which will likely happen, he would become the first manager in MLB history to lead five different teams to the playoffs. However, being the manager in Houston will be challenging after the sign-stealing scandal. The Astros have now been labeled cheaters and while the Astros want a clean, fresh start, it will be hard to achieve such a desire.
