The Astros are expected to bring back director Dusty Baker, reporting by Bob Nidenger for USA Today (On twitter) Baker will sign a new contract for 2022 in the next few days. The team has not yet officially announced.
Assuming an agreement is finally reached, Baker will return in his third season to lead the Houston team. He has achieved a lot of success in the first two years, leading the team to participate in the 2020 American League Championship Series and last season’s American League banner. Houston lost to the Warriors at the World Championships, but there is no doubt that the Astros have achieved a lot of success during Baker’s tenure. In the two seasons he coached, the team set a regular season record of 124-98 (559) and won four of the six playoff series.
Of course, Baker’s inherited lineup is much stronger than most first-year captains get. The Astros participated in the 2019 World Championship under the leadership of AJ Hinch, and Baker took over a star-studded club in his current winning mode. After the 2017 flag stolen incident was exposed, the team faced a challenge of overseeing a lot of criticism and notoriety. Of course, the front desk gave Baker a little honor, because he has the ability to withstand the influence of his cheating plan before the organization and lead the team to continue to succeed.
Considering his success in the first two seasons, Baker is always worthy of another shot in Houston, assuming the 72-year-old wants to continue coaching. As his current two-year contract is about to expire, some speculation about his future begins to heat up. Baker was hired before general manager James Click, and Click seems to be more willing to hire him for this role, which seems to be at least some possibilities. It doesn’t look like this is the case, because Baker is now preparing to return after meeting with boss Jim Crane this morning.
Even before two successful seasons in Houston, Baker had established himself as one of the most accomplished coaches in MLB history. As a player and twice All-Star, he became the first major league captain of the Giants in 1993. Becker led the Giants for 10 seasons, then managed the Cubs from 2003-2006, the Reds from 2008-13, and the Nationals from 2016-2017. Except for Chicago, his team has announced a cumulative win record at every stop, and Baker’s 1,987 victories in the regular season are the 12th in history. Among the active captains, only Tony La Russa (Tony La Russa) has won more victories.
Becker will definitely win 2000 games early next season, and he still has a chance to win his first world championship. The three-time general manager’s championship team also succeeded in the playoffs, leading at least four teams as much as the LCS and two teams (the 2002 Giants and the 2021 Astros). But Baker’s club has not won the world championship. Considering the small sample volatility of baseball, there must be quite a lot of doom in this fact.
Regardless of whether Becker should be blamed, or the extent to which his team has not won the world championship, there is no doubt that he will be excited about this elusive ultimate goal.The Astros are facing the potential departure of many major free agents, the most famous of which is the shortstop Carlos Correa, But even if they lose two of their best players, they will definitely bring back another very talented player. With Baker regaining power, Houston once again entered this season, becoming one of the top contenders for MLS.
Image courtesy of USA TODAY Sports.
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