Bagwell dishes on Astros hiring Ausmus as manager

HOUSTON -- There’s no denying the years-long friendship between new Astros manager Brad Ausmus and Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, who’s one of owner Jim Crane’s closest confidants. Ausmus and Bagwell played together on the Astros from 1997-98 and 2001-05 and started on the team’s first World Series club in 2005.

That friendship continued after their playing careers, when Ausmus became the manager of the Tigers and Angels and bench coach of the Yankees, and while Bagwell took on a larger role in Crane’s front office the last few years. Bagwell was promoted to senior advisor to ownership and baseball operations in 2023.

So when the Astros tabbed Ausmus to become manager on Wednesday, assumptions were made that Bagwell’s friendship with Ausmus was the sole reason for the hire. Bagwell, in an exclusive interview with MLB.com on Thursday, pushed back at that narrative and said Ausmus is uniquely qualified for the job because of vast experience.

During the hiring process, Bagwell said he told Crane and new general manager Randy Flores he was “not banging the table for Brad” or anybody to fill the role. Ausmus got the job over former Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, former Astros third baseman Morgan Ensberg and Rangers bench coach Luis Urueta.

“[Crane and Flores] have to like him, just like we’re going to have to like anybody that’s a candidate,” Bagwell said. “For some reason, I get this [narrative] that it’s because he’s my friend. Most people who get jobs in the game are friends with somebody. That’s how it works. How do you think you find people? They just don’t show up. You’ve got to find people, and generally, they’re acquaintances you have throughout the game.”

Of the four known candidates, Ausmus was the only one with Major League managerial experience. He went a combined 386-422 in four seasons with the Tigers (2014-17) and one with the Angels (’19). The Angels went 72-90 under Ausmus, who led the Tigers to an AL Central title in 2014 and 86 wins in ‘16.

“Any time you’re in a situation and you’re looking for candidates, it’s the people that have the biggest Rolodexes that have the best chance of getting people,” Bagwell said. “You’re trying to figure out who would do a good job for you and who would do good for the ballclub. For me, with Brad, he has 18 years of big league service as a catcher. When you’re a catcher, you control so much with your team because you control your pitching staff.

“You cannot win without pitching. We, for the last few years, have really worn our bullpen down and have gotten a lot of injuries. I’m not saying it’s because of our coaching staff, but we have to have somebody that understands pitchers, and nobody does that better than catchers. I thought that would be a good fit for us.”

Ausmus also worked in the Padres' front office as a special assistant from 2010-13 and spent the 2022 as the bench coach of the A’s. He also managed Team Israel at the 2012 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers and in the 2026 tournament. He spent the last three seasons working under manager Aaron Boone of the Yankees, where Ausmus dealt with some big personalities in New York and worked closely with the team’s research and development department.

“With Brad, he’s done everything from playing to managing for five years to being a bench coach for three years,” Bagwell said. “Being a catcher, I think that was a good fit. That was one candidate. We had other candidates that were in the mix. You just try to do the best you can to put people in front of people so you can make the best decision for your team. That’s how I got to Brad.”

Now that Ausmus is in the fold, the Astros are turning their attention to bolstering their roster for ’27. Whether Ausmus’ third stint as a manager goes better than his first two will likely be determined by the quality of the players he gets to put in the lineup.

“I had conversation with [Hall of Fame manager] Jim Leyland back in ’92,” Bagwell said. “He said, ‘You know why I’m a great manager?’ And he named every single one of his starting players. You’ve got to have players. If the players play [well], then everybody looks good. If players get hurt and they don’t play well, then everybody looks bad. That’s just the way it is. It’s not on one person.”