Luhnow announces department changes

The Astros hired Ehsan Bokhari as their new director of research and development, headlining a plethora of changes and promotions announced on Friday within the department.

A senior analyst with the Dodgers for the last four seasons, Bokhari replaces Mike Fast, who departed the Astros in September.

Earlier this week, Fast was hired as a special assistant to Atlanta Braves general manager Alex

Anthopoulos.

Fast and Sig Mejdal — both founding members of the Astros’ analytics department in 2012 — have left the organization since the season concluded.

President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Jeff Luhnow announced several other personnel moves.

Ryan Hallahan, the team’s senior technical architect who joined Fast and Mejdal on that original analytics team, is beginning a career in ministry. The Astros announced Friday Hallahan

will remain as a software development consultant while he transitions.

Previously the club’s Senior Architect, R&D, Hallahan joined the Astros in 2012 and has been an integral part of the club’s success over his seven seasons.

Bokhari was one of the original members of the Dodgers’ research and development staff, helping the club reach four National League West Division titles and two National League pennants.. He holds undergraduate degrees in psychology and mathematics,

a masters in statistics and a PhD in quantitative psychology.

Along with Bokhari, Houston hired Sarah Gelles as a program manager in the department of research and development.

Gelles had been in the Orioles front office for the last eight seasons. From 2016-18, she oversaw Baltimore’s analytics department, handled major league roster management and assisted with player acquisition/negotiations.

Before her time with the Orioles,

Gelles worked for the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Major League Baseball’s Labor Relations Department

Existing employees Colin Wyers (senior architect), Catherine Cage (manager of research) and Ryan Ferguson (senior analyst) all received promotions within the department.

Wyers will lead the Astros efforts in the design of large-scale systems and infrastructure, and will work closely with Bokhari on the overall direction of the R&D department.