Here are the best managers to guide the Astros

HOUSTON -- It took nearly 20 years for Houston’s baseball franchise to reach the playoffs and nearly 40 more after that to win its first World Series title. Along the way, legendary names and colorful personalities have managed the Astros, with varying results.

Here are the top managers in Astros history:

1. A.J. Hinch, 2015-19
Key fact: Led Astros to three straight 100-win seasons, from 2017-19, and won ’17 World Series.
Hinch inherited a rebuilding club that had averaged just 58 wins over the prior four seasons and helped guide it into an AL powerhouse that captured the franchise's first World Series title. The Astros won 101 games in 2017, 103 in ’18 and a club-record 107 in ’19 -- a season that ended with a World Series Game 7 loss to the Nationals.

Hinch went 481-329 in five seasons as the Astros’ manager. He and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired before the 2020 season for their parts in the sign-stealing scandal.

2. Dusty Baker, 2020-23
Key fact: In 2022, became oldest manager to win a World Series title.
Baker came out of retirement in 2020 and led the Astros to two trips to the World Series in four seasons, including his first championship as a manager in ’22. He was hired to replace Hinch following the sign-stealing scandal and served as a calming influence and a respected voice.

Baker finished his 26-year career as one of the most accomplished managers in history with a résumé that includes 2,183 wins in the regular season, which is the eighth-most in history. With Houston, Baker reached the ALCS four times, won three consecutive AL West division titles (2021-23), two AL pennants (2021-22) and one World Series, beating the Phillies in six games in ’22.

3. Larry Dierker, 1997-01
Key fact: Won four NL Central Division titles in five seasons.
Dierker, who won 137 games as a pitcher in 13 seasons with the Astros and remains the franchise leader innings, starts, complete games and shutouts, spent 18 seasons in the broadcast booth following his playing career before taking over as manager in 1997. It was an unorthodox move, but it worked.

The Astros won their first of four division titles under Dierker in ’97. In ’98, they set what was a club record with 102 wins and Dierker was named NL Manager of the Year. The Astros won the division again in ’99 and 2001 but fizzled in the playoffs each year.

4. Phil Garner, 2004-07
Key fact: Led Astros to first World Series appearance in club history.
A popular player who played 16 seasons in the Major Leagues, Garner was living in Houston when the Astros fired Jimy Williams at the All-Star break in 2004. That made him a convenient and solid replacement to turn around a star-studded Astros club that was underachieving with a 44-44 record.

The Astros rallied behind Garner, going 36-10 down the stretch to earn the 2004 NL Wild Card spot on the final day of the regular season. They beat the Braves in the NLDS for their first playoff series win in franchise history before losing to the Cardinals in the NLCS. Garner, who won 82 games in 2006, was fired along with general manager Tim Purpura late in the 2007 season.

5. Bill Virdon, 1975-82
Key fact: Has the most wins, losses and games managed by anyone in club history.
More than 40 years after he managed his final game in Houston, Virdon remained the franchise’s leader in managerial wins, with 544. His 522 losses also stood as a club record, making him the only Astros skipper to manage 1,000 games with the club. Under his guidance, the Astros improved steadily. They challenged for the NL West Division title in 1979 before winning it in a one-game tiebreaker against the Dodgers in ’80, Houston’s first playoff berth.

Honorable mention
Hal Lanier, 1986-88
Groomed under Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog of the Cardinals, Lanier led the Astros to the NL West championship in his first year as manager but was fired after the 1988 season. He was the 1986 NL Manager of the Year but never managed in the big leagues again after leaving Houston.

Art Howe, 1989-93
The soft-spoken Howe spent seven playing seasons in Houston and became the first former Astros player to manage the club. He took over an aging team that was being disassembled in 1989 and led the Astros into a new era that included Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Luis Gonzalez, and Darryl Kile. He was fired at the end of the 1993 season but wound up managing the A’s (1996–2002) and Mets (2003–04), helping rebuild three organizations.