The Houston Astros are expected to extend Manager, A.J. Hinch, amidst another successful season.
Via Mark Berman of Fox 26, the Houston Astros are expected to formally announce a contract extension for Manager, A.J. Hinch, Thursday afternoon. While the length of the extension is not yet known, we will likely see Hinch’s extension begin in 2020 as the skipper has a club option that will surely be exercised for 2019.
This move is not a surprise as the 2017 World Series Champions are finishing up another strong season. The Houston Astros extended General Manager, Jeff Luhnow, earlier in the season and the baseball world knew that it was just a matter of time before Hinch was rewarded as well.
Hinch has led the Astros to a great deal of success throughout his four years at the helm of the club. When he took over for the 2015 season, they were nearing the end of their long rebuild. The Astros had a lot of young talent, Hinch’s candidacy stood out to the team because of his background in player development. 2015 marked the club’s first winning season since 2009, and Hinch has continued to lead the club to winning seasons in each following year.
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Under Hinch’s management, the Astros improved from 70 wins in 2014 to a big jump to 86 wins in 2015. The team followed with 84 wins in 2016 and then 101 victories and a World Series Championship in 2017.
With a month left to play in 2018, the club currently sits at 82-51 and in first place in the American League West. The surprising Oakland Athletics are only 2.5 games back from the Astros, which should make for an exciting finish to the 2018 season.
Following play on Wednesday, A.J. Hinch sits at fifth in Astros’ all-time wins with a record of 353-266. He will soon pass former manager, Harry Walker, who is fourth in team history with 355 managerial wins in an Astros uniform.
A.J. Hinch should continue to rocket up the leaderboard as the Houston Astros are primed to continue their winning ways in the years to come.