Houston Astros: AJ Hinch and Jeff Luhnow will resurface

The hammer came down on the Houston Astros, particularly in regards to former manager AJ Hinch and former GM Jeff Luhnow. Both will be back.

On Monday, the Houston Astros finally learned their fate in the wake of their cheating scandal. Major League Baseball dropped the hammer, suspending both manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow for a year. The Astros also lost their picks in the first two rounds of the 2020 and 2021 MLB Draft, and were fined $5 million.

The punishment hammer did not stop there, at least for Hinch and Luhnow. Within the hour, both had been fired by the Astros, their time in Houston over. Their success, with a championship in 2017, a second World Series appearance in 2019, and four playoff appearances in five years, no longer mattered. The Astros organization had been embarrassed, and whether it was right or wrong, Hinch and Luhnow needed to pay the price.

Yet, there is no arguing what Hinch and Luhnow meant to the success of the organization. Luhnow oversaw the Astros tanking era, taking the reins of the team on December 8, 2011. The Astros had three consecutive top overall picks, leading to Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman (and Brady Aiken, although he did not sign). They were able to target undervalued veterans, such as Charlie Morton, and unlock their potential. Aggressive trades, such as acquiring Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, helped transform the organization into a perennial contender.

However, talent can only go so far. He also needed to find the right person to guide the team from the bench, to make sure the Astros were able to maximize their talent. Luhnow found that manager in Hinch, a cerebral younger manager who had struggled in his first managerial experience in Arizona. He was exactly what the Astros needed, a steady, calming hand to guide the franchise to glory.

Now, both Hinch and Luhnow have seen their legacies tainted. They have been sacrificed by the Astros, sent to the unemployment line due to these improprieties. It is also possible that Hinch and Luhnow were fired by the Astros as a way to appease the powers that be in Major League Baseball, essentially pressing the reset button on the organization to keep from getting the death penalty.

Meanwhile, both Luhnow and Hinch adamantly denied being a part of any sign stealing activities, stances that were borne out in MLB’s investigation, Yes, they had to pay the price as the leaders of the organization, a lack of institutional control falling directly upon their shoulders. Yet, they were not involved in any of the cheating.

As of now, Hinch and Luhnow are untouchable. Their suspensions hang over their heads, and the Astros scandal is fresh in everyone’s mind. Yet, time has a way of erasing the stains of the past, particularly when one can point to Rob Manfred’s own words indicating that they did nothing specifically wrong.

In that time, Luhnow and Hinch’s accomplishments will return to the forefront. Teams will be looking for a new manager or a new leader for their front office. Openings will happen on a coaching staff, or within an organization. Hinch and Luhnow could be ready to resurface at that time, the sins of the past ignored for the promise of a brighter future.

Neither Jeff Luhnow nor AJ Hinch have been banished permanently from the game. In time, the Houston Astros brain trust will resurface, albeit someplace else.