Climbing Tal's Hill
Fansided

Astros: Sign stealing scandal leaves more questions than answers

By Karen Watson

HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 05: Manager AJ Hinch #14 talks with Jeff Luhnow, General Manager of the Houston Astros, prior to game two of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park on October 05, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 05: Manager AJ Hinch #14 talks with Jeff Luhnow, General Manager of the Houston Astros, prior to game two of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park on October 05, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
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Astros owner Jim Crane fires Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch
HOUSTON, TX – MAY 04: Houston Astros owner Jim Crane waits near the field before the start of a game against the Minnesota Twins at Minute Maid Park on May 4, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /

On the other hand:

  1. I’m so very angry at myself because I so much wanted to believe in the integrity of the Astros and that there was no truth to these far-fetched allegations.
  2. Luhnow and Hinch got what they deserved. They seemingly condoned the behavior and neither one of them took definitive steps to stop the behavior. And if Hinch was as outraged as we’re to believe, you will NEVER convince me that he and Luhnow NEVER discussed this scheme privately while it was happening. After all, who paid for the replacement monitors?
  3. Maybe Nolan and Reid Ryan distancing themselves from the team early in the offseason points to an indication of the real culture being condoned by the organization. Perhaps Crane purposefully waited to take these drastic steps until after the report was made public so that he could save face.

Do you see what I mean?  Split personality.

What now?

Who will fill the shoes of Luhnow, one of the most talented GMs in the game? Who will fill the shoes of Hinch, one of the best managers in the league? Speculation is rampant as to whether or not these positions are filled from within or without the organization. We’ll just have to wait to find out.

Worse than the suspensions and subsequent firings of Hinch and Luhnow, we dangerously depleted our farm system at the trade deadline last year. With the elimination of our first- and second-round draft picks for the next two drafts, we’ve now been dealt a lethal blow in our ability to rebuild that system quickly.

We do have some awesome talent that could possibly carry us through to the 2022 draft. Beyond that, we’re likely going to be in some trouble. We have one of the very best player development programs in the MLB, though only time will tell as to how bad this will truly hurt our ranks.

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