In the champagne-colored haze that followed the World Series, the top story was the championship team in Atlanta, of course. But there was also some news from the opposing side, as Brent Strom held a post-game scrum and announced that he will not be returning as the Astros’ pitching coach next season. (Links from Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle and Mark Berman of Fox 26.) A few weeks ago, Strom had hinted that he was considering this path, before making it official after last night’s game.
The 73-year-old isn’t committed to a full-on retirement necessarily, but seems confident about the role he won’t have. “There may be another opportunity for me somewhere else. I may look at that. I may just go lie on a beach in Mexico,” Strom said. “But I need to enjoy my life a little bit. I haven’t had a summer in a long time. So we’ll see. I haven’t made a final decision yet, but I know I won’t be back as the Major League pitching coach here. Yeah. I know that for a fact.”
Strom made 100 appearances over five seasons in his playing career, from 1972 to 1977. He logged 501 innings with an ERA of 3.95 over his time with three different clubs. Since then, he’s been coaching in different roles for various organizations, including the Royals, Nationals and Cardinals. But his most consistent stretch at the big league level has been his most recent tenure with the Astros, running from 2014 through 2021, which coincided with their emergence from a lengthy rebuild into a consistent powerhouse club, including the now-infamous championship club from 2017.
Strom’s departure opens up an important position in the dugout, and he seemed to imply that the torch will be passed to someone already within the organization, listing bullpen coach Josh Miller and assistant pitching coach Bill Murphy as options. “I really think this organization’s in a really good position with these two young pitching coaches that we have, and I’m sure had I stayed there would be teams coming after these two guys,” he said. “I think this organization deserves these two young guys, Murphy and Miller, to stay. How they work that out is up to them.” Miller has been with the organization since 2011, working in various roles over the past decade, but has been the bullpen coach for the past three seasons. Murphy signed on to work with the Astros’ minor leaguers prior to the 2017 season and then worked his way up to the big league team for the 2021 campaign.
It’s unclear if the Astros’ front office perceives the transition as smoothly as Strom does, but he made it clear that Miller and Murphy already deserve much of the credit for the current Houston pitching staff. “If you look at all these pitchers that we have right now, most of them came up through those two guys. Outside of Lance [McCullers Jr.] that I had as a holdover, all my guys have kind of moved on.” With that framing in mind, it seems like Strom has already been gradually relinquishing some duties to Murphy and Miller. But it remains to be seen how the organization will divvy up the job titles and responsibilities for next season, or if they plan to consider external hires.
Elsewhere on Houston’s coaching staff, there will also be a vacancy in the manager’s seat with Dusty Baker’s contract now expiring, although it’s possible that matter will be settled in short order. Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that Astros’ owner Jim Crane “plans to sit down with Dusty Baker in the next few days to iron out a one- or 2-year contract.” The return of Baker would not come as a huge surprise, given how his time in Houston has gone so far. The club was mired in the aftermath of the scandalous sign-stealing revelations when Crane personally hired Baker as the new skipper, and he has guided the club through a pair of successful campaigns, making it to the ALCS in 2020 and the World Series in 2021. Crane discussed the matter about a month ago and didn’t say anything definitive, but spoke positively of Baker. Dusty himself seemed to indicate that he wanted to return, when discussing things a few weeks ago, making it seem like there’s enough mutual interest for an extension to potentially come together fairly quickly.
I wish Strom the best of luck in whatever he chooses to pursue. Respect.
Was Strom the scapecoat?
Houston can’t win many games with 0 runs!!
Is batting coach returning?
Strom could’ve held that role til he died. There’s no scapegoat. There’s nothing wrong w what the Astros did this season. Losing in the WS isn’t an unsuccessful year. Wasn’t their year. Given the SP’s they had to work with—I’m shocked they even made it there.
HOU led the reg season in team batting AVG and most runs. They showed what they were capable of leading up to the WS, but they sorely lacked starting pitching. They may have won the series if ATL had anything less than Anderson/Fried.
Strom is the best pitching coach in the game and will be missed. Hopefully Houston will find some way to keep him involved part time as a consultant. Congrats to you Brent and go enjoy life!!!
Did Kyle Snyder die?
Lol
A bit of a cryptically worded exit.
….have gun will travel reads the card of a man….
The “beach in Mexico” sounds like a good plan. Much deserved rest. Good luck, sir.
To quote Jimmy Buffet “maybe Billy Clyde wasn’t insane….”
… meet up with Andy & Red in Zihuatanejo.
if only they had more trash cans, then he could have kept his job
He’s leaving under his own volition, and with the respect of anyone’s he’s worked with in the game. You won’t find many better.
That’s what Houston wants you to believe…
You would be best suited to do some research on the man, and the fifty years in the game. Or you could just sit there spouting ignorant nonsense. Based on your post I’ll assume you prefer to stay ignorant and intellectually lazy.
What does organized sign stealing have to do with the pitching coach ?
Anyone think dusty is gone too? His hiring was more of a stop gap wasn’t it
He wants that ring as a manager. He will be back, if they let him. He is turning into the Marty Shottenheimer of baseball. He will get you to the big dance, but then stumbles on the dance floor. Baker is a good seasonal manager. Braves were just too much.
Think that’s unfair to the situation isn’t it?
They lost some key arms and their offense went cold a bit in a 3 game stretch. Hard to put that fault anywhere, it’s just the game. Someone has to lose and this her the braves were simply the better team
stop.
Soroka
Ozuna
Acuna
Morton in the world series.
every team deals with injuries and the astros were every bit as cold and hot on different days then the Braves.
The Braves got no love based on the down year EVERYONE except acuna was having , yet on paper they were still a force to be reckoned with and have a deep organization.
The truth is Atlanta has extremely good pitching, offense and defense and they simply outplayed the Astros in every department
Every team had/has injuries.
Not an excuse.
Houston would not have eliminated the White Sox if the Sox pitchers were healthy!
What part of the ‘braves were simply a better team’ lead you to wasting your time with that post
Houston obliterated an overmatched White Sox team.
You could give the White Sox all their pitchers back and give Houston Verlander and I bet you it’s a 3-0 sweep instead of 3-1.
Pretty sure he said “the Braves were simply the best team”
Him mentioning the injuries was just stating that it wasn’t Baker’s fault that Verlander and LMC were out, or that the bats went cold.
I see we’re at the point in the year where delusional fans make ridiculous speculations. The White Sox were the worst team to make the postseason this year and only made it in because of a laughably bad division
Hahahahahahaha!
Yeah, ok.
Dusty- Every team had serious injuries. That argument cancels itself out. I am just looking at the stats. Baker fades in the spotlight, sorry, for whatever the reason or excuse, it just happens.
@braves2 I agree completely. I’m an Astros fan but they simply were not the better team in this World Series. Hat tip to the Braves and I would love to see a rematch next year!
#JerryBird
Dusty Baker has lost with some of the greatest talent and teams baseball has ever known.
Giants Lost
Reds Lost
Cubs Lost
Nats Lost
Astros Lost
No other manager has been so bad in the big games in the history of baseball!
I don’t know, but he is my sentimental choice. This organization doesn’t seem to be making too many sentiment choices though. It’ll really comes down to logic and analytics. The only manager I would rather see manage Houston would be AJ Hinch. We know that’s not happening.
If they were smart they would give it to Joe Espada. He was A.J. Hinchs bench coach and is heavily interviewed by almost every team looking for a new manager over the last 3-4 yrs. The team knows and loves him as well. Besides, they could save a couple million to throw at Correa. I’m not 100% sure hes gone yet. Cranston pockets are deep. Maybe that’s why he wanted to stay under the tax line this year was to reset because he knew he was going to have to exceed it this year
CC way overrated. Thanks
CC way overrated. Thanks
It may have started as a stop-gap, but they may have underestimated the teams’ performance under Dusty. Frankly, I believe the choice will be his to make and he will choose to stay.
he knows astros are at the end of a run.
The majority of our stars are all under 27. The older guys are Altuve 31 and Gurriel, winner of the batting title. Our pitching staff is basically 24.
The end of a run? This might actually be the beginning.
Thank you Stromie! You’re an awesome pitching coach, you will be missed!
I ain’t no english major but pretty sure the word scrum ain’t being used right in this article
I noted the same last week in another article here. I don’t remember the author, so I’ll assume it’s the same one because it’s such an unusual word if reference to a press conference, unless there was some level of chaos and disorder. It implies a negative. His use of the word scrum is not correct.
It’s a term used to describe the semi casual interview setting found in locker rooms, where reporters surround a person and take turns asking questions.
Y’all are both wrong. Scrum is a perfectly acceptable word to describe a one person being interviewed informally by a bunch of journalists
Dusty – you are correct and I stand corrected.. although I could only find the term “media scrum” I’m pretty sure that over time the word media has been phased out of the terminology. I have only seen scrum used to reference rugby or some sort of physical confrontation and when I just looked up scrum there was no mention of informal press conference..just didn’t look right or sound right when read aloud…but like I said I ain’t no english major.
I’d Hire Dusty back but I’d also hire a heimlich specialist to be by his side in the dugout at all times during the postseason.
Dusty’s gloves and bracelets gotta go!!
They certainly are not helping!
So Snyder is the best of the best now
Rats begin jumping ship
Save it, nerd.
73? No offense intended, but if he wants to enjoy retirement, he’d better get moving. I don’t claim to know anything about his health, and for all I know he may live to be 100. But given the normal life expectancy, I’m just sayin’…
Baker’s already experienced a few years of “retirement” including right before his Astros stint. For all we know, managing an MLB team may be his idea of best enjoying himself right now.
Strom’s slate is cleared, and he’s sitting at home waiting to hear from the Mets about a front office position.
Scapegoat
Hard to win if you can’t beat the trash can. Congrats Atlanta well deserved
Except the Astros made it to the World Series for the third time in the last five years, as well as the fifth ALCS appearance in the past five years. So, by the math, they’re winning. A lot.
As a kid going to the San Diego School of Baseball, Brent was one of my instructors kalong with a young Dave Smith who wore an Astros uniform at the time, Cy Young award winner Randy Jones even made an appearance). Brent was a good instructor back then and those skills got colleges to look at me until I got hurt. It was nice to see that he got into coaching as it was a very appropriate role. I could see him coaching high school to stay near the game without having to travel.
It is Strom”s time. Was sad on the loss in WS. But agree with him time for some young blood perhaps but whether Click will go that way and Crane. I hope can try to retain Correa. Could not see him elsewhere. Especially with Yankees, Dodgers or such. Baker will be back for next season. Whether a one year or two not sure. I do not know how different team will be. One spot wonder on is centerfield. Will it be Siri, McCormick, or Meyers. But I do wish Strom well. And hope good things to come for this team. Time to move on from 2017. Enough is enough. Still and always will be Astros Fan.