For a team mired in the bottom of the baseball standings & coming off 3 consecutive 100 plus loss seasons, the Houston Astros continue to be newsworthy. The Labor Day firing of Astros’ skipper Bo Porter should not come as a total 
surprise, given the friction between GM Jeff Luhnow & the manager that was reported by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal & the Houston Chronicle the last week of August. However, most people around baseball assumed that Porter would at least finish out the season before being sent packing. Instead, he was ushered out the 1st day of September as the Astros seek a new direction for the ballclub.
Luhnow was quick to point out that Porter’s dismissal was not due to the win-loss record in the big leagues, because anyone who has followed the Astros over the last 2 seasons knows they were not equipped to be pennant contenders. Instead, it was because Luhnow & Porter were not on the same page moving forward.
“This decision was not made because of our current level of competitiveness in the Major Leagues,” Luhnow said in a statement released to the press. “I recognize that our win-loss record is largely a product of an organizational strategy for which I am responsible. Rather, I made this decision because I believe we need a new direction in our clubhouse.”
Luhnow has the Power
If anyone needs a reminder about who wields the power in the organization, the Porter firing shows it’s Jeff Luhnow. It was reiterated in a statement from Astros owner Jim Crane: “This was not an easy decision to make. We wish Bo nothing but the best in the future. Jeff has my full support.”
The Astros have been fully immersed in the rebuilding of the organization the last few years, incorporating a data-driven approach under the stewardship of Luhnow & his analytics team. The controversial way the Astros have gone about it, by having the lowest payroll in baseball & essentially being non-competitive the last few years in order to build up the farm system, has garnered a lot of criticism around MLB.
For a manager like Porter who comes from a football background & wears his emotions on his sleeve, the continued losing on the big league level had to wear on him. There was speculation that Luhnow & Porter clashed over his in-game management & there a rift in communication developed. That dissension ultimately bore out with the manager’s exit, despite the Astros showing improvement this past season.
“I am proud of what we were able to accomplish in Houston with an organization in transition,” Porter said in a statement to MLB.com. “I’m gratified we were able to bring some excitement to this city as a result of our improvement from 2013 to 2014.”
Possible Manager Candidates
The attention squarely returns to Luhnow as he gets ready to hire the 2nd manager of his Astros tenure. Currently, the interim manager is Tom Lawless, a former minor league manager in the Astros’ system, but Luhnow said some of the same candidates from the last time (likely Tim Bogar, Dave Martinez, etc.) would be considered again in their new managerial search.
“What we will seek going forward is a consistent & united message throughout the entire organization,” Luhnow said. “It is essential that as an organization we create an atmosphere at the Major League level where our young players can come up & continue to develop & succeed. Ultimately, I am responsible for creating that culture, and I will do everything in my power to do so.”
The Astros grand experiment with the “Moneyball” approach may or may not produce the World Series champion in 2017 that SI playfully conjectured, but the clock is ticking for Luhnow & his management team to show progress & field a winner in Houston. The Astros are at a critical juncture with players like Jose Altuve, George Springer & Dallas Keuchel excelling on the big league level, and much hyped prospects like Carlos Correa & Mark Appel waiting in the wings. The organization cannot have a repeat of the Porter situation with a disconnect between upper management & the skipper on the field. They need to be thinking along the same lines, or else the GM could be the one whose job is in jeopardy the next time around.
-R.G. Seal
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