Another Astros Outrage Du Jour

Ah, let's look at the latest Astros outrage du jour. Apparently, people who have never heard of Keith Bodie are simply outraged ... OUTRAGED, I TELL YOU ... by his non-renewal as an Astros minor league coach. I do not mean to make light of that fact. One should never cheer for another to lose his/her job. It's not only tacky; it's really bad karma.

But people have a tendency to overlook facts that do not fit with their preconceived narrative, that narrative on this occasion being that Jeff Luhnow and the entire front office are evil personified. But I like facts. I think facts are good, even when they aren't the facts that I want to hear.

The first fact is that all minor league coaches (as far as I've ever heard or known) are on year-to-year contracts. This is the case not just with the Astros, but with all the teams. The second fact is that non-renewals are just not that uncommon. Not only are minor league coaches and managers often non-renewed, they are also re-assigned with little or no input as to where they will be coaching/managing.

Sometimes it's a matter of the performance of the ballclub. Sometimes, it's a matter of trying to create the right staff chemistry. Sometimes, it's simply a matter of putting the right coach/manager at the level where he will be most effective. For example, when Hector Mercado was moved from Greeneville "down to" the Gulf Coast League as the Pitching Coach for that team, I didn't see it as a demotion. I saw it as a perfect fit because he was so effective with the youngest and rawest of pitchers. The pitchers on that 2012 Greeneville team raved about Mercado to me, about how simple, accessible and effective his approach was for those who were new to professional baseball. But I digress. As usual.

Here's another set of facts. Yes, Keith Bodie had a terrific record with the Hooks in 2012, going 81-59, but the team went 0-3 in the first round of the playoffs. In 2013, they were even better at 83-57, and, although they improved their record in the post-season, they still were defeated 3 games to 2 and did not advance beyond the first round. (Keep in mind that the 2013 team was largely constructed of players from the 2012 JetHawks who had won the California League crown the year before.)

Overall, those were excellent outcomes, but I felt certain going in to the 2014 season that the Astros front office, with their emphasis on winning in the minor leagues, were wanting to see the Hooks finally make it out of the first round. And on paper, they were probably expecting them to do just that. I know that I was.

Starting the 2014 season, Keith Bodie was given a team largely constructed from the 82-58 2013 JetHawks who had won both halves of the season and who dominated the competition all season long. But the 2014 Hooks never got off the ground. They sputtered to a 4th place record (out of 4 teams) and ended up going 67-73. Was that Bodie's fault? No, not specifically, but the fact remains that it happened on his watch and the front office had to be disappointed with that outcome. The point is that Bodie's record this year was likely a large factor in the decision. Frankly, I would have been surprised if Bodie had not been, at a minimum, reassigned. The move, to me, was not unexpected.

Another misconception is that the Astros front office has totally decimated the minor league coaching staff that they inherited and installed their own people. Yes, they've added a number of new coaches, but there is a long list of those who they have retained: Tony DeFrancesco, Rodney Linares, Omar Lopez, Josh Bonifay, Ed Romero, Darryl Robinson, Don Alexander, Tom Lawless, Mark Bailey, Dave Borkowski, Joel Chimelis, Hector Mercado and Rick Aponte immediately spring to mind. The popular (and very successful) Stubby Clapp left on his own terms, after having been renewed by the Astros in 2013, to return to his native Canada to coach in the Blue Jays system. I would venture to say that the Bodie non-renewal is only the second high profile non-renewal since Luhnow and company took over, the first being Burt Hooten prior to the 2013 season.

And one final note. Yes, the Astros exert an immense amount of control over the day-to-day management of the minor league teams, from establishing the starting rotation to the use of the shift. Good, bad or indifferent, most clubs either already operate that way or are starting to do so more and more. They are managing a business and they want to have control over how their assets are being used. I personally hate to think of any player as an "asset," but that's the nature of professional sports. As one minor league coach I know would say, "It's just part of the deal."

This Astros front office has stumbled numerous times along the way and they likely will continue to do so from time to time, but they are trying to create a winning strategy. Some of the things that they do will work. Some ultimately won't. They will rightly be blamed for some of the missteps they make, but I intend to base my judgments on those missteps on the facts, not vague suppositions, anonymous sources and knee jerk reactions. There is almost always another side to the story.

With that said, I wish Keith Bodie nothing but the best. I feel certain that he will land a job easily and will benefit from the fresh start.

[Putting away soapbox and exiting stage left.]