The Houston Astros interviewed yet another managerial candidate Friday - former Astros catcher Brad Ausmus. Astros owner Jim Crane has said he wants to wrap up the managerial search next week and is likely to cut down the long list of candidates over the weekend. Ausmus has the advantage of managing as recently as last season in the AL West, with the Los Angeles Angels.
Here’s the file on Ausmus:
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Age: 50
Experience: Detroit Tigers (2014-2017), Los Angeles Angels (2019)
Record: 386-422 (.478)
Accomplishments:
Ausmus has plenty of managerial experience, running the Tigers for four seasons and the Angels for one. He hasn’t had a ton of success, only making the playoffs in one season as a manager. The Tigers won the AL Central in 2014, but got swept by Buck Showalter’s Orioles in the ALDS. From there, Ausmus never brought the Tigers back to the playoffs, culminating in a 98-loss season in 2017 that led to his firing.
Ausmus’ only season in Los Angeles was rough as the Angels struggled with injuries to the team’s pitching staff, and dealt with the death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Ausmus went 72-90 after replacing long-time manager Mike Scioscia, and got fired after just one season.
Overall View:
Ausmus definitely has the experience, although not much of it is positive. He took over a strong roster after Jim Leyland retired from Detroit and had two seasons in last place out of four. With the Angels, Ausmus had an uneven roster, but one with the best player in baseball and AL MVP Mike Trout. With that team, he still managed to lose 90 games. There are better managers with experience out there than Ausmus, although his familiarity with Houston (10 years as a player, 1 year as an in-division manager) is notable.