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An unusual discovery by a revered franchise icon may have revealed the cause of the rift between James Click and his former employer.
After acknowledging his growing role in the Astros’ makeshift front office, Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell bemoaned the team’s reliance on analytics and asserted that “this game is played by people, man. It is not played by computers.”
“The game has advanced so much,” Bagwell said. “But at the end of the day, it’s about getting runs in, scoring runs, getting 27 outs before the other team. That never changes. Trying to get a mix of both, I’m trying to get some of that because that’s what (owner Jim Crane) wants.”
Crain parted ways with Click earlier this month despite Houston’s second World Series title in franchise history. Crain said Tuesday he doesn’t expect a new CEO before the new year.
“We’re in no big rush.” “I wouldn’t expect anything until January,” Crane said. “The front office is doing well, as you can see.”
SEE ALSO: What to know about new first baseman Jose Abreu
Crane, meanwhile, functions as his team’s de facto head of baseball operations with three assistant general managers — Bill Firkus, Charles Cook and Andrew Ball. Crane signed reliever Rafael Montero and first baseman Jose Abreu to three-year, $93 million contracts.
Crane sent Firkus and Bagwell to Miami to finish Abreu’s contract, the latest example of Bagwell’s growing importance in the organization. Asked twice Tuesday if he wanted to be Houston’s general manager, Bagwell said he didn’t. Bagwell said he won’t even interview for the job.
“I love this team. I’m the Houston Astro. I’ve been here since 1991. I think Jim Crane is the best owner in baseball, and that’s part of the reason I’m doing this,” Bagwell said. “(Crane) is a guy who played in college, understands the game of baseball, hates to lose and will spend some money. You can’t ask for anything more than that. He has a passion for it. It’s nice to be a part of it – whatever it is a part of. But I worry. And I care about guys.”
Click’s departure after winning the World Series had little precedent in baseball’s modern era, but months of simmering discontent and philosophical differences between the two men made the move untenable.
Bagwell’s comments on Tuesday thrust one source of their disagreement into the spotlight, prompting questions about where Crain’s could go in its search for a new general manager.
Analytics has built the Astros into a new dynasty, but it’s worth wondering if Bagwell’s increasing influence over Crain could push the franchise back toward a combined approach.
“I talk a lot with Jim and the new assistant GMs and so forth just to give my opinion on some of the things that I’m seeing and how I’m seeing them (from) a player’s perspective and, I guess, from a front-office perspective and how everything mix it up,” Bagwell said. “You have to have a mixture of both. You can’t just be one-way.”
Asked if the Astros had gone “too far,” Bagwell replied “personally, for me, yes.”
“There are certain things that happen that numbers can’t explain,” Bagwell said. “This game is played by people, man. It is not played by computers. There’s a lot going on – things at home, a lot of things that can happen during the year that mean something and affect the players in a certain way.”
Bagwell’s comments should come as no surprise. He also took sneaky and blunt shots of some modern changes to the game during appearances on Astros television and radio broadcasts. Many players from his era may share similar thoughts. Few witnesses better illustrate the benefits that analytics and technology can provide.
Since Jeff Lunow ushered Houston into the forefront of baseball’s analytics revolution, the club has won four American League pennants, two World Series titles and built the kind of stable infrastructure the sport envies.
Crain fired Luhnov in 2020 after a sign-stealing scandal and replaced him with Klik — a lifelong member of the Tampa Bay Rays, one of the few organizations more analytically inclined than the Astros. Given what is now known, such an undertaking seems far-fetched.
Many in the industry actually viewed Click as less analytically driven than Luhnov. Click increased the Astros’ scouting staff during his three-year tenure — a reversal from the Luhnow regime — and expanded his front office to include two assistant general managers: Ball and Scott Powers.
Crane fired Powers the same day he parted ways with Click. Powers oversaw the R&D and performance science teams. In a statement announcing his hiring, the Astros claimed Powers will “continue to move the Astros forward in analytics and innovation.”
Bagwell’s reflections on Tuesday make it unsurprising that Powers is unemployed. Houston continues to employ analytically-minded executives — many of whom are Luhn’s successors — but it’s clear that, since Click’s departure, Bagwell has far more influence than his current job as local community leader.
“I don’t know. I do the same thing,” Bagwell said. “I bother Jim all the time. I think he’s tired of me. I’m just the voice of how I see baseball and how I see other things in baseball that aren’t just numbers. Numbers are important, don’t get me wrong, but there are other things that are important.”
Bagwell’s 15-minute interview with reporters on Tuesday sounded eerily similar to the general manager’s winter state of the union. On Jordan Alvarez, Bagwell said, “I want Jordan to play 45 to 50 percent of the games in left field. He called Abreu “our number one target” and didn’t rule out the possibility of him entering the market for catching despite the return of Martin Maldonado.
“I want to do everything Jim wants me to do,” Bagwell said. “I don’t force myself to do anything. I know I’m involved. I know I enjoy talking about the game of baseball and I certainly enjoy talking about us and getting better.”
What if Crane asked Bagwell to be CEO?
“That’s not my thought right now,” Bagwell said. “We have enough stuff right now.” Things are working right now, so we’ll figure it out when the time comes.”
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