Astros owner Jim Crane promised a thorough vetting process when hiring the team’s next general manager. He lamented that the hiring of former GM James Click happened too quickly after the sign-stealing scandal and subsequent firing of Jeff Lunhow.
Crane did as promised by waiting through much of free agency and at least a portion of the arbitration period. Rumors had been swirling in recent days that the team had narrowed its choices down to Dana Brown, the Braves VP of scouting, and former Astro catcher, Brad Ausmus, who most recently was the manager for the Angels in 2019.
In the end, Brown’s experience won out and he was named as the team’s next GM.
By all accounts, Crane was diligent in his pursuit of the “right” guy for the job. It was no secret the team was enamored with Brewers executive (and former assistant under Lunhow) David Stearns, but Stearns was adamant he was going to remain out of baseball for at least one year and the Astros never formally pursued him.
Instead, the landed one of the more respected and capable front office guys in the league in Brown.
Brown’s strong suit is scouting.
Perhaps the most important task of any general manager for this franchise will be the draft, both here and internationally. While the team is well known for its Dominican baseball academy and ties to numerous countries it has mined for talent, the minor league system has suffered in recent years as the team built from within and leveraged the minors for major league talent.
No doubt, one of the first orders of business will be finding ways to increase the breadth of talent in the minors. The Astros already have some top line talent, but the don’t have the depth of other franchises and that needs correcting. Brown has been a draft wizard. In Atlanta, he was credited with drafting both Michael Harris and Spencer Strider, who landed one and two in rookie of the year voting in 2022.
He’s a veteran.
Brown has been around a long time as a scout and front office executive working for the Braves, Blue Jays, Nationals and Pirates. He is well respected around the league and widely considered a strong GM candidate. He brings a wealth of knowledge to an organization that is one of the best run in baseball. Like Dusty Baker, he will continue to keep the rudder of the ship pointed in the right direction.
And because he has been around, he is likely to feel more comfortable taking chances where former GM Click seemed to hesitate. The Astros have still managed excellence rarely seen from an MLB franchise over the last six seasons, but Crane is not one to rest on his laurels and he has no doubt let Brown know exactly what he expects going forward.
He becomes only the second Black executive in baseball.
This is not an inconsequential thing in baseball where there are currently only two managers including Baker. Brown joins Ken Williams of the White Sox as the only Black GMs in the majors. It makes the Astros the only team in baseball with both a GM and a manager of color. Of course, this franchise is no stranger to hiring people of color. Bob Watson became the very first officially named Black GM when the Astros hired him in 1994. Bill Lucas helped run the Braves organization in the late ’70s, but never had the official GM title.
Still, the significance of two men of color running the Astros organization should not be downplayed. Two of the only four Black managers/executives in baseball are now in Houston. It just so happens they are also really, really good at their jobs.
Brown has at least one tie to Houston.
Brown was on the same team in college as former Astros and Hall of Fame second baseman Craig Biggio. Additionally, he drafted Biggio’s son, Cavan, when Brown was in Toronto.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
