Astros’ Hinch reaches pinnacle
He had turbulent time with D-Backs
Before he was surprisingly named the Arizona Diamondbacks’ new manager eight years ago, A.J. Hinch had to be talked into taking the job. He was on a front-office course, a future general manager. This was a shift. And when he was fired less than a year and a half later – his reputation sullied – it appeared Hinch had made a poor decision.
But on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, Hinch will be wearing a Houston Astros uniform at the top step of the visitors’ dugout, the manager of a World Series team. His time with the Diamondbacks feels like eons ago.
It can be hard to parse the impact of any manager, good or bad. Separating him from his players and his circumstances – deciding how credit or blame is distributed – is often a task with no right or wrong answers.
Hinch’s tenure with the Diamondbacks was no different. Some thought he was often a step behind opposing managers in his in-game maneuvering. But he also inherited one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball. Some believed he was too controlling. But he also couldn’t get too comfortable with a roster that, in certain corners, did not believe he should have had the job in the first place.
Hinch’s hiring sparked a firestorm of controversy. He had never managed before, never even coached. He had moved from a playing career directly into the front office, trading his uniform for khakis. His move back into uniform caught the industry off guard.
He also was replacing a manager in Bob Melvin who was popular in the clubhouse. Melvin is a good communicator and had forged strong relationships with his players, many of whom were upset to see him go.
Making matters worse, Melvin was being fired by the front office and replaced by someone in the front office. This was heresy for some in baseball, a game that has long had a separation among its branches of government.
The pushback was severe. Pitching coach Bryan Price resigned out of protest, then spoke critically of Hinch in an interview, calling the hiring a “poor decision” and a “slap in the face” to experienced coaches.
Several players bucked, including lefty Doug Davis, who had a dugout blowup with the manager during Hinch’s second week on the job. Others were dismissive in less demonstrative ways.
The focal point for critics was Hinch’s lack of experience. Interestingly, over the coming years, several others wound up landing gigs despite similar resumes. Craig Counsell (Brewers), Mike Matheny (Cardinals), Robin Ventura (White Sox) and Brad Ausmus (Tigers) all had no coaching or managerial experience when they were hired as managers.
“In A.J.’s situation, I don’t think we gave him a very good chance,” ex-Diamondbacks pitcher Dan Haren said when revisiting the topic two years ago. “We weren’t playing well as it was with Bob – and Bo-Mel was great – and I think that year we kind of used it as an excuse, which is really unfair to (Hinch). And I’m pretty sure all the players would admit it.”
When he’s been asked about the experience, Hinch has never claimed to have done everything right. After the Astros gave him a second managerial chance in the fall of 2014, Hinch mentioned his communication with players as something he could improve. He also talked about a need to better delegate with his coaching staff.
“I wouldn’t give that experience away for anything,” Hinch said in December 2014. “If I hadn’t gone through those trials and things – and we had good things, too, it wasn’t just all bad in Arizona – I might not have got this job. So I went from somebody with no experience to somebody with a wide array of experience.
“So now it’s up to me to take those life lessons, whether it’s interacting with players, whether it’s maybe taking a step back and seeing the club from a different perspective. But I’ve learned a lot in six years through my jobs, but also just being around the major league club and being a part of an organization that I feel can be useful.”
Hinch was fortunate to arrive in Houston just as the Astros were transitioning into the competitive phase of their rebuild. The Astros won 101 games this year during the regular season, 12 more than the Diamondbacks won during his 212 games as their manager. They won 86 and 84 games the previous two seasons.
Having shifted to an analytically driven team, Hinch has gone from being bemoaned as a front-office wonk to taking on the role of an old-school baseball guy. His in-game moves don’t seem to get second-guessed as often anymore. His players seem to respect him. Winning has a way of doing that.
Reach Piecoro at (602) 444-8680 or nick.piecoro@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpiecoro.
WORLD SERIES SCOUTING REPORT
A look at the best-of-seven World Series between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers:
Players to watch
Astros: CF George Springer (.283, 34 HRs, 85 RBIs), 2B Jose Altuve (.346, 24, 81, 39 doubles, 32 SBs; 204 hits to lead AL for 4th straight year), SS Carlos Correa (.315, 24, 84, 25 doubles), LHP Dallas Keuchel (14-5, 2.90 ERA), RHP Justin Verlander (15-8, 3.36 for Detroit and Houston; 5-0, 1.06 in 5 starts with Astros), closer RHP Ken Giles (1-3, 2.30, 34/38 saves).
Dodgers: 3B Justin Turner (.322, 21, 71, 56 Ks, 59 BBs), 1B Cody Bellinger (.267, 39, 97), RF Yasiel Puig (.263, 28, 74, 15 SBs), LHP Clayton Kershaw (18-4, 2.31, 202 Ks, 30 BBs, 23 HRs allowed in 27 starts, 175 IP), LHP Rich Hill (12-8, 3.32, 166 Ks in 25 starts, 135 2/3 IP), closer RH Kenley Jansen (5-0, 1.32, 41/42 saves, tied for NL lead).
(regular season statistics)
Big picture:
Astros: Aiming for their first World Series championship. They’ve never even won a Series game, getting swept by the White Sox in 2005 in their only previous appearance. … Manager A.J. Hinch’s team beat the Yankees 4-0 in Game 7 of the ALCS behind Charley Morton and Lance McCullers Jr. … Houston led the majors in scoring this season while taking the AL West with 101 wins, then bounced Boston in the AL Division Series. …
Verlander is 4-0 with a 1.46 ERA this postseason. He’s 9-0 since joining the Astros. … Altuve (.400, 5 homers), Correa (9 RBIs) and 1B Yuli Gurriel (.366) did well in the playoffs. RF Josh Reddick, 3B Alex Bregman, LF Marwin Gonzalez, C Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran all hit under .200. Beltran, hoping for his first World Series ring, could be the DH when the site shifts to Houston for Game 3. … The games in Houston figure to be emotional, with the area recovering from Hurricane Harvey. The Astros wear patches on their uniforms that have the word “Strong,” the team logo and an outline of the state of Texas.
Dodgers: Making their first World Series appearance since 1988, when Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser and Tommy Lasorda helped LA beat Oakland. … Manager Dave Roberts’ team led the majors with 104 wins, swept Arizona in the NLDS and quickly dethroned the champion Cubs in the NLCS. … Turner (.387, 12 RBIs), Puig (.414) and Enrique Hernandez (3 homers in NLCS clincher) are doing well this postseason. … SS Corey Seager is expected back in the lineup after missing the NLCS because of a back injury. Charlie Culberson and Chris Taylor filled in well. Depending on how he’s moving, Seager could be the Dodgers’ DH in Houston. … Led by dominant Jansen, Dodgers relievers have thrown 23 straight scoreless innings in the postseason, dating to Game 2 against Arizona. … Have won the NL West five years in a row. Have had the biggest payroll in the majors for four straight seasons. … Kershaw is 6-7 with a 4.40 ERA in 21 postseason games. He’s gone 2-0 this October. We’ll see whether the lefty ace with three Cy Young awards, five ERA crowns and seven All-Star selections can deliver a command performance.
Matchups:
The Astros and Dodgers have played over 700 times, more than any pair of teams to meet in the World Series. That’s because Houston began as a National League expansion club in 1962 and didn’t switch to the AL until 2013. The Dodgers hold a 388-323 edge — they’ve played so often, some fans say this feels more like an NL Championship Series than a World Series. … In the most meaningful game between the sides, Houston earned its first playoff spot by beating the Dodgers 7-1 in a tiebreaker for the 1980 NL West title behind pitcher Joe Niekro. … They last met in 2015, when Houston swept a three-game series at home. … Verlander beat the Dodgers in late August with eight dominant innings for Detroit, shortly before being traded to Houston. … Darvish is 5-5 lifetime vs. the Astros, including 1-1 this year before Texas sent him to the Dodgers. … Reddick spent the final two months with the Dodgers last year after being traded from Oakland.