Astros AM: Front Office Shake Up

Teams make changes all the time. The Houston Astros are no exception.

General manager Jeff Luhnow has been known to not be afraid to change the status quo on the Houston Astros roster. This time though he changed the status quo in his own front office.

Per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, the Astros have promoted Mike Elias from scouting director to assistant general manger.

Elias, who has been with the club for four years, will still head up the draft process. The team also announced that Pete Purila will be promoted to director of player development and Armando Velasco to assistant director of player development.

There were also three positions that will not see their contracts renewed. Allen Rowin, the director of Minor League operations, Paul Runge, the Minor League field coordinator, and Leon Roberts, the roving outfield and base running coach, will not be back with the club.

This announcement of promotions and non-renewals within the front office isn’t surprising. Teams make changes all the time inside their front office. But this is just the start of something bigger for the Astros.

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In McTaggart’s article, Luhnow was quoted saying that the team was taking a “comprehensive look across the whole organization“. It sure sounds like that more promotions will be announced. And more than likely that could also include decisions not to renew contracts of certain positions in the front office.

Times are still changing throughout baseball. The game has evolved in more ways than one in the past decade and will continue to change. The Astros have been on the forefront of that movement since Luhnow was brought in as the general manager. And the team will remain on the forefront as long as it continues to adapt. Say what you will about Luhnow, but the Astros have been able to adapt well to the changing baseball landscape throughout his tenure.

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The restructuring of the team’s front office is definitely something to keep an eye on. After all, the Astros have been rebuilt in a large part due to this current group upper management. Let’s see if the reorganization can take it a step forward.