HOUSTON – The Houston Astros interviewed Eduardo Perez for the team’s open manager spot this week. Perez is on the lower end of the interview list in terms of experience, but Houston fans should have some familiarity with the team’s ex-bench coach.
Here’s the file on Perez:
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Age: 50
Experience: 1 year as a bench coach (2013 Astros), 2 years as a hitting coach (2011-2012 Marlins), 3 years manager (Puerto Rican League & Winter League)
Accomplishments:
Eduardo Perez won a Manager of the Year award in the Puerto Rican League in 2008, winning a championship. In 2014-15, Perez led the Santurce Crabbers to a Carribean League title. He has no MLB managerial experience but has had extreme success in other leagues. Perez is well-regarded in baseball circles as someone who can identify talent well, and get his point across. An excellent communicator in both English and Spanish, Perez is a versatile host and TV analyst for a variety of baseball shows.
Overall View:
Perez was one of the finalists for the Mets managerial job before Carlos Beltran originally got it for many of the reasons listed above. Players who have played for him love him, and he’s well respected around baseball.
He probably doesn’t have quite enough experience for the Astros, based on some of the other interviews Jim Crane has arranged. Houston has a veteran team that’s ready to win now, and it seems Perez would be a better fit for a younger, growing team.