Dusty Baker Keeps Rising To The Challenge | The World Champion Astros Always Find A Way To Compete

Dusty Baker Keeps Rising To The Challenge | The World Champion Astros Always Find A Way To Compete

LOS ANGELES – Even with the team as beat up as they are, Dusty Baker still has his boys rallying.

 

After trouncing their division rival in the Oakland Athletics 10-1 and then dropping a 7-5 decision to the Minnesota Twins on Memorial Day, they’re now 31-21 on the season and are second in the AL West, three games behind their fellow Lone Star State neighbor in the Texas Rangers.

Dusty Baker Battling Injuries 

The Astros have been without star second baseman Jose Altuve all year following an injury in the World Baseball Classic, as well as fellow MLBbro Michael Brantley. “The Professional” is nursing a shoulder injury that’s supposed to keep him out until around the All-Star break.

In addition to those key absences, the Stros lost one of their best pitchers in Luis Garcia due to Tommy John surgery.

 

And yet, they’re still 10 games above .500, mainly because of the culture they’ve been able to establish and the belief they have in one another, and it all starts at the top with Baker.

 

Baker will turn 74 in June, and has been managing clubs since 1993. All this time managing teams, it took him 30 years, in his third season with Astros, to finally lead a team to a championship. He was only the seventh MLB manager since 1969 to win a championship as both a player and a manager.

 

 

Dusty Baker Builds On Illustrious Career 

 


Before winning it all, Baker had won National League Manager of the Year three different times, during his stint managing the San Francisco Giants. He’s the current active leader in manager wins in the MLB, and was the only manager in the top 10 ranking in wins all time to have not won a championship until that point.

He has always established himself as a very solid guy to lead a team and after last year’s World Series, Baker eliminated any doubts about his championship pedigree.

 

Last year’s win established him as one of the greatest managers that the game has ever seen, as he is only one of four MLBbro managers to lead a team to glory.

Time To Defend The Throne 


And now, he has a challenge that he’s never had in his managerial career: to defend a world title. 

 

The one thing that is different compared to other years is that the AL West has actually become competitive. The Mariners continue to roll from last season’s success, the first-place Rangers seem to have figured it out, and even the LA Angels have been in the fight as they have what some would consider the two best players in baseball in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. 

 

Even with their fourth-best win percentage in the AL at .596, they’ve been a subpar hitting team, as they are 22nd in the league in on-base plus slugging percentage, and 23rd in home runs hit. However, what’s kept them at the top is that they’re one of the best teams in terms of pitching, as they lead the MLB in ERA at 3.16, and are second in WHIP at 1.17.

 

With Houston being as beat up as they are, them only being two games out of first is truly impressive. They’re only going to get healthier from here on out, and with Dusty still continuing to be one of the best managers in the league, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Astros once again be playing baseball deep in October.

Can the Return of MLBbro Michael ‘The Professional’ Brantley Jumpstart Houston Astros’ Offense?

Can the Return of MLBbro Michael ‘The Professional’ Brantley Jumpstart Houston Astros’ Offense?

After winning the World Series beating the Philadelphia Phillies last year in six games, the Houston Astros have had issues putting together that chemistry from last year. With a 16-15 record and a two-game losing streak as of May 5th, the easy observation is that ineptitude on the offensive end is leading to losses. 

 

Houston Astros Bats Have Disappeared

 

The team is at the bottom of the Major Leagues in slugging percentage hovering around .370. To put this in perspective, the only teams with worse percentages are last place teams in the Oakland A’s, the Kansas City Royals and the Washington Nationals. 

 

But help is coming in MLBbro, Michael Brantley who is currently tearing up his rehab assignment with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. Based on this tweet here, the Astros might have to fight to get him back…

 

 

 

Brantley has been impressive in his first action in ten months after undergoing arthroscopic labral repair on his right shoulder that kept him out of the Houston lineup since June 26th.

 

In six games with the Space Cowboys, our MLBbro had a batting average of .333. 

 

Astros general manager Dana Brown provided some insight on his timeline that Brantley could return to the parent club and possibly be in the lineup by Monday when Houston starts the Anaheim series.   

 

The ultimate goal for our MLBbro is getting back to the Astros…but at 100 percent. 

 

“I want to be healthy, I want to be able to contribute at a high level once I go back,” said Brantley. “There is a lot of hard work from a lot of good people to get me to this point and I am appreciative of being here and even having this opportunity, and all is going well so far.”

 

“The Professional” should hit the ground running upon return. Brantley stated recently that the competition in the minor leagues has gotten tougher since he came up the ranks years ago.

 

 

If Michael Brantley does return for the Anaheim series, then what?

 

Where will Michael Brantley fit in when he returns and more importantly…the future?

 

Our MLBbro has a shining reputation of being a professional hitter thanks to a disciplined eye at the plate and solid mechanics to make consistent contact. With that in mind, look for Brantley to fill the designated hitter spot when he returns. His career performance shows that Michael should be fine in the short term.

 

  • Brantley has topped the .300 mark in five of his last eight seasons.


  • He’s never struck out more than 60 times in any season of his career.


  • His OPS+ (On base Plus Slugging Plus) is at least 19 percent above league average the last five seasons. 

 

 

Michael Brantley made a positive contribution to the Astros offense before the team shut him down. His numbers were still solid ( .288/.370/.416 with an OPS of .785). Numbers like these along with veteran leadership in the locker room will suit the Astros just fine in the short term.

But what about the long term?

 

Could Michael Brantley be moving to first base ?

Throughout his career, Michael Brantley has been a defensive anchor in the outfield. But could a return from shoulder surgery prompt a move to the infield? According to MLBbro manager Dusty Baker, Brantley could be moving to first base when he gets his rhythm back.

 

 

 

Brantley has been seen working out at first base working on footwork and throwing mechanics. Even though our MLBbro hasn’t played first base in the minors in 2007, it’s all about the team and how he can help via MLB.com.

 

“We’ll see how it goes, Brantley said. “At the same time, it’s a team-first approach always. I’ve always been like that. If I can help the team out in any way, I’ll be available. It’s a lot of hard work. I’m learning a lot very quickly, but it’s all been going smoothly so far.”

 

“I’m just trying to learn and do the best of my ability and get the footwork down, make accurate throws, find new arm slots,” Brantley said. “It’s an adjustment period, but it’s kind of fun. I always enjoy taking ground balls. I get to do it a little more often.

 

With this season just starting basically 30 games in, the Astros see the season as a marathon and not a sprint. The team wants to see our MLBbro settled in for the postseason where he really can help the team repeat as champions.

The postseason is the end game for Michael Brantley’s rehab and position change.

 

When the Astros discussed their long term plans this season for Brantley, his postseason performance in 2020 was on the minds of many. Michael Brantley showed up and showed out with a .319 batting average with at least one RBI in seven of the 13 games he participated in. One of those games he deposited two homers with three RBI.   

 

Michael Brantley’s In A Class By Himself | ‘The Professional’ Masters The Art Of Hitting

 

 

But for any postseason talk to commence, the Astros have to start generating offense, which is where Brantley helps. To start this season, there have been ten Astros players with at least 50 plate appearances. Out of those ten, only Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker have OBPs of .340 or better. After signing a one-year deal last December, here’s hoping that Michael Brantley returns to reward the Astros loyalty despite surgery last season.

‘Massive Blow’ To Dusty Baker’s World Series Repeat Hopes | Jose Altuve Suffers Broken Thumb In World Baseball Classic

‘Massive Blow’ To Dusty Baker’s World Series Repeat Hopes | Jose Altuve Suffers Broken Thumb In World Baseball Classic

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker can make history this season, but suffered a setback as his team will be without one of his top players for an unspecified amount of time.

Jose Altuve suffered a broken right thumb during the semifinal game of the World Baseball Classic.

“It’s a massive blow,” Astros general manager Dana Brown told mlb.com. “Right now, there’s no timeline because the doctor’s got to go in and get this deal done. It’s unfortunate that it is a fracture that was revealed by the MRI and he’s going to have to have surgery on it.”

Definitely not the news Baker and the Astros organization wanted to hear as he’ll look to lead his team to another World Series title this season.

 

 

Baker is looking to become just the second Black manager to win back-to-back World Series titles, joining Cito Gaston who won titles in 1992 and 1993 with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Altuve has been a key piece to the team’s success and with his absence, Baker will need to find a replacement for a player who can get it done at the plate and in the field.

It’s never easy for a team in any sport to win consecutive titles. And when your eight-time all-star and two-time World Series champ will miss the start of the season, that doesn’t make things any easier.

What will Dusty Baker’s team will look like without Jose Altuve?

Baker is going into his third season leading the Astros and is looking for his second title as a manager and third overall.

 

“God Called Me Here To Houston” | MLBbro Manager Dusty Baker Returns In 2023 For Shot At Back-To-Back World Series

 

He will certainly have a decision to make as the season approaches regarding who will replace Altuve with at second base. According to a report from the Houston Chronicle, Mauricio Dubon and David Hensley will look to fill in for Altuve as he is away.

But you can believe that without Altuve, Baker is going to put his best team out there and will expect them to compete at a high level. There’s no question that Baker wants to win back-to-back titles and even though the Astros lost one of their top pitchers in Justin Verlander during the offseason, and now Altuve for some time, this team will still be a force to reckon. One of the best pitching staffs in baseball will help the Astros whether the storm. 

Dusty’s boys will need to start off strong

The first few months of the season will be critical for Baker and his team. They are going to find out quickly how Altuve’s loss will impact the team chemistry. 

 

 

In a perfect world, Baker would not have to worry about any injuries or personnel changes and do things the way he wants. But unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. All eyes will be on Baker and the Astros at the start of the season. The silver lining? Baker has over 2000 career victories and knows a thing or two about winning, and his record with the Astros (230-154) speaks for itself. He will get his team together and make sure they are clicking on all cylinders come March 30th.