Astros News: Houston Hires Dana Brown as General Manager

Dana Brown named Astros general manager

Houston, we have a general manager. And we can all collectively take a breath--it's not Brad Ausmus or Jeff Bagwell.

The Astros announced they have hired long-time executive Dana Brown to fill their vacant general manager seat. Houston parted ways with James Click right after the winter meetings and have been operating on a general manager by committee system since.

Click came to Houston after the sign-stealing scandal fallout and did a great job in a crucial time. With those events now long in the rearview mirror, Jim Crane was ready to hire somebody that fit into his methodology. Brown should fill this role seamlessly.

He previously served as the Atlanta Braves Vice President, Scouting. While there, he drafted elite young talent in Spencer Strider and Michael Harris III, in addition to most of the prospects Atlanta leveraged to land Matt Olsen via trade. Brown also spent time with the Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates. While serving as Director of Scouting for the Nationals, seven future all-stars were drafted, including Stephen Strasburg, winner of the 2019 World Series MVP after he mowed down the Astros.

Brown becomes the only black GM in the MLB. Ken Williams is the only other black executive overseeing a baseball operations department in the MLB.

In an interesting trivia tidbit, Brown was a college teammate with Astros' legend Craig Biggio at Seton Hall University.

The announcement comes just a day after the Houston Sports Awards, where Crane said this:

"We’re still searching. We’re scanning the crowd right now. No, look, we’re still working on it. We’ll take our time and get it right."

- Jim Crane

While it may be a little early for a final verdict, on paper, they got this one right. Brown's hire should ensure the Astros' golden era continues chugging along without a halt in sight.