General manager Jeff Luhnow announces the hiring of A.J. Hinch as Astros new manager.
Shortly after the announcement of a press conference today, the news of the Astros hiring of A.J. Hinch leaked out. The Houston Chronicle's Evan Drellich was the first with the report, now the Astros now make the move official.
#Astros GM @jluhnow on A.J. Hinch. "He will be the manager here when we win the World Series." pic.twitter.com/anYQ5JmN8s
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 29, 2014
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow talked about the fact that Hinch stood out compared to the ten candidates the team spoke to. Luhnow and Hinch had even talked about a trade during his time with Padres. Hinch put on a number 14 jersey (sorry Jesus Guzman) and talked about his philosophy and plans going forward -
New #Astros manager A.J. Hinch: "To know me is to know I like winning. I like to compete. The talent here is evident."
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 29, 2014Hinch: "The goal is to win championships. It's going to take energy and commitment and great coaches, some of which are already here."
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) September 29, 2014Hinch: "The arrow is pointing in the right direction... The talent is real here."
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) September 29, 2014Hinch: "Do I want to shock the world? Of course I do."
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) September 29, 2014The Astros new manager said he texted back and forth with former Astros manager Bo Porter before taking the job. Porter was a former teammate with Hinch and coach under the Astros kipper while the Diamondbacks.
"I didn't talk directly to Bo. We texted back and forth," Hinch said of former manager Bo Porter, a former teammate and coach under him.
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) September 29, 2014Luhnow stated that Brent Strom would be returning in 2015, but didn't say in what capacity. Hinch added:
"Brent Strom, one of the best pitching coaches around, has made great strides," Hinch said.
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) September 29, 2014Luhnow stated when he hired Bo Porter, that he wanted Porter around when the Astros start winning. This time he said Hinch will be around when the Astros win a World Series. We will have to wait in see on that.