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HOUSTON — There’s no denying the years-long friendship between new Astros manager Brad Ausmus and Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, one of owner Jim Crane’s closest confidantes. Ausmus and Bagwell played together for the Astros from 1997-98 and 2001-05 and started in the team’s first World Series in 2005.
That friendship continued after their playing careers, when Ausmus became manager of the Tigers and Angels and bench coach of the Yankees, and when Bagwell took on a bigger role in Crane’s front office the last few years. Bagwell was promoted to senior advisor of ownership and baseball operations in 2023.
So when the Astros selected Ausmus to be their manager on Wednesday, there was speculation that Bagwell’s friendship with Ausmus was the only reason for the hiring. Bagwell pushed back on that narrative in an exclusive interview with MLB.com on Thursday, saying Ausmus was uniquely suited for the job because of his vast experience.
At the time of the hiring, Bagwell said he told Crane and new general manager Randy Flores he wasn’t “beating the table for Brad” or anyone else to fill the role. Ausmus took over former Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, former Astros third baseman Morgan Ensberg and Rangers bullpen coach Luis Urueta.
“[Crane and Flores] We have to like him, just like we have to like everybody else who runs,” Bagwell said. [narrative] because he is my friend. Most people who get a job in the game become friends with someone. This is how it works. How do you find people? They just don’t show up. You have to find people, and generally they are your acquaintances throughout the game.”
Of the four known candidates, Ausmus was the only one with Major League managerial experience. He combined for 386-422 in four seasons with the Tigers (2014-17) and Angels (’19). The Angels went 72-90 in 2014 under Ausmus, who led the Tigers to the AL Central title and 86 wins in 16 games.
“When you’re in any situation and you’re looking for candidates, the people with the biggest Rolodexes are the ones who have the best chance of getting people,” Bagwell said. “You try to figure out who’s going to do well for you and who’s going to do well for the ball club. For me, with Brad, his 18 years of big league service as a catcher. When you’re a catcher, you control a lot of things with your team because you control the pitching staff.
“You can’t win without pitching. We’ve really let our bullpen down the last couple of years and we’ve had a lot of injuries. I’m not saying it’s because of our coaching staff, but we’ve got to have somebody who understands pitchers and nobody does that better than catchers. I thought that would be good for us.”
Ausmus also served as a special assistant in the Padres’ front office from 2010-13 and spent 2022 as the A’s bench coach. He also managed Team Israel in the 2012 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers and the 2026 tournament. He spent the last three seasons working under Yankees manager Aaron Boone, where Ausmus dealt with some big names in New York and worked closely with the team’s research and development department.
“With Brad, he’s done everything from playing for five years to being a bench coach for three years,” Bagwell said. “As a catcher, I think it was a good fit. It was a candidate. We had other candidates in the mix. You just try to do your best to get people in front of people so you can make the best decision for your team. That’s how I came to Brad.”
Now that Ausmus has folded, the Astros are turning their attention to bolstering their roster for Year 27. Whether or not Ausmus’ third stint as a manager is any better than his first two will likely be determined by the quality of players he brings into the fold.
“I had a conversation with him [Hall of Fame manager] Jim Leyland in 1992,” Bagwell said. “He said, ‘You know why I’m a great manager?’ And he named every one of the starting players. [well]then everyone looks good. If players are injured and not playing well, then everyone looks bad. It just is. It’s not about one person.”