Dusty Baker, who came out of retirement nearly four years ago and led the Astros to two trips to the World Series, including his first championship as a manager in 2022, announced his retirement after 26 seasons of managing at a news conference held at Minute Maid Park on Thursday.
“I’m retiring from the field here in Houston,” Baker said. “I haven’t made up my mind what I’m going to do or where I’m going to go. … I still feel like I haven’t done what I’m supposed to do in life. I feel the Lord has great things ahead for me.”
Baker still wants to remain involved in baseball in an advisory position with a team, USA Today reported on Wednesday.
Baker finishes his career as one of the most accomplished managers in history with a résumé that includes 2,183 wins in the regular season, the seventh-most in history. He won division titles with five different teams and led teams to pennants in both leagues — the Giants in the National League in 2002 and the Astros in the American League in 2021-22.
Crane brought in Baker to guide the club during one of the most turbulent times in its history. Crane had just fired manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow — the architect of Houston’s 2017 World Series championship team — in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal. One of the most respected men in the game, Baker served as a calming influence and a reverent voice.
In four years as manager of the Astros, Baker reached the ALCS four times, won three consecutive AL West division titles (2021-23), two AL pennants (2021-22) and one World Series, beating the Phillies in six games in 2022. He is the oldest manager to win a World Series.
Crane will now be tasked with finding his fourth manager, having previously hired Bo Porter, Hinch and Baker. Bench coach Joe Espada, who’s interviewed for several managerial jobs in the last few years, would be a strong candidate to replace Baker and would bring stability. Other candidates could include former Astros player and A’s and Angels manager Brad Ausmus and D-backs bench coach Jeff Banister, both of whom have interviewed in Houston before.
Rangers associate manager Will Venable is considered a future manager candidate but may choose to stay in Texas. Brown attended high school with Braves first base coach Eric Young Sr., making him a likely candidate as well. Braves bench coach Walt Weiss, a former manager in Colorado, A’s manager Mark Kotsay and former Padres manager Andy Green are other names to watch.
Following a 19-year playing career with the Braves — where he was teammates with Hank Aaron — the Dodgers — whom he helped win a World Series in 1981 — the A’s and the Giants, Baker went into coaching. He also managed the Giants (1993-2002), the Cubs (2003-06), the Reds (2008-13) and the Nationals (2016-17). He was all but retired at his home in Sacramento when the Houston job opened up.
Baker won 320 games in four seasons with the Astros, which included the pandemic-shortened 60-game season in 2020. The Astros averaged 97 wins from 2021-23 and won three AL West titles. This year’s team went 90-72 and won the AL West on the final day of the regular season before losing in seven games to the Rangers in the ALCS. Baker’s 57 playoff wins are the fourth-most in history. (Astros.com)
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