Brent Strom hired as Astros new pitching coach

Less than a week after Doug Brocail was “promoted” the Astros have found his replacement. Brian McTaggart is reporting that Brent Strom will be hired as the Astros new pitching coach.

The 64-year old Strom has been serving as the minor league pitching coordinator in the St. Louis Cardinals organization for the past seven seasons. There it is –the Jeff Luhnow connection. Prior to that, Strom spent five seasons in the same position within the Montreal Expos system.

Strom also has previous experience as a big league pitching coach. He actually held the position with the Astros back in 1996. Strom  also served as pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals in the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

Brent Strom earned a degree in Physical Education from the University of Southern Cal. While he was there Strom also helped the Trojans win a pair of National Championships on the baseball diamond. Strom is known as a teacher, and he believes that proper mechanics are key to preventing injuries. He is also a proponent of “long toss”.

The hiring of Strom seems like a step in the right direction. Along with a sound reputation as an expert on pitching bio-mechanics, Strom has a solid track record. That track record also includes a great deal of success with the St. Louis organization in recent years.

Brocail always seemed like a strange hire, and I am surprised that he held the position as long as he did. He had no coaching experience and the results never materialized. I’m giving today’s move a “thumbs up” because Strom appears to be a good fit for a team with so many young pitchers on the roster.

Former pitching coach Doug Brocail will be replaced by Brent Strom (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)