Houston Astros may make managerial search public

Finding themselves squarely in the public eye is nothing new for the Houston Astros and that domain is someplace that the team may remain in the coming weeks as they conduct their managerial search. MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart spoke with GM Jeff Luhnow on Wednesday, learning that the team’s front office may still be in the early stages of the process but Luhnow expects that there will be a level of transparency to things.

Houston is looking for a new manager after deciding to relieve Bo Porter as the calendar turned to September. Porter spent two seasons leading this team, compiling a 110-190 record (a .367 winning percentage).

Conducting an open search is not necessarily a new concept to the Astros organization, though it would be a new avenue for this front office. Prior to the hiring of Brad Mills in 2009, the team had ten candidates hold press conferences following their interview. Addressing the media was deemed an important piece of the team’s decision making process. Luhnow’s decision to hire Porter following Mills’ dismissal was done much more privately.

Under consideration this time around is the possibility of having manager candidates meet directly with the local media and beat writers. The belief is that this will help limit the misinformation that ends up leaking to the fans.

Tom Lawless will lead the team on an interim basis to close the season out. Adam Everett has been elevated to serve as his bench coach, on an interim basis. Both figure to be in the managerial mix, should they have interest. It remains unclear who else may end up being considered by this front office as the team looks for a new manager.

One name to potentially keep an eye on is Astros legend Craig Biggio. While the future Hall of Famer had a storied career wearing the Astros uniform, he does not have any experience in such a role under his belt. His name has been tossed around in a speculatory manner, though to date it has been met with significant disinterest from much of the fan base.