Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow announced several promotions today as part of the reconfiguration of the Astros Baseball Operations Department.
Mike Elias, Assistant General Manager, takes on a new role as Assistant General Manager, Player Acquisition. In his new position, Elias will oversee the club's efforts in both the international and domestic amateur markets. Elias, now in his 11th season in Major League Baseball, has been instrumental in the build of the Astros roster and top-ranked farm system since he joined the club in 2012.
Brandon Taubman has been promoted to Senior Director, Baseball Operations, Research and Innovation. In his expanded role, Taubman will continue to run the day-to-day Major League baseball operations functions and will expand his oversight to include the baseball analytics groups, which will include research and development of baseball technology. Taubman, who joined the Astros in 2013, will also oversee the Pro Player Scouting functions. 
Kevin Goldstein has been promoted to Special Assistant to the General Manager, Player Personnel. In his new role, Goldstein will be part of the Baseball Operations leadership group and will advise and assist with all player-related matters, including evaluation of internal and external talent. Goldstein had been the Astros Director, Pro Scouting, since August of 2012. The Astros and Quinton McCracken have mutually agreed that he will pursue other opportunities. McCracken had served as Astros Director, Player Personnel.
Oz Ocampo has been promoted to Special Assistant to the General Manager, Baseball Operations. Ocampo will be part of the Baseball Operations leadership group and will advise and assist across player development, minor league operations, international scouting and Major League baseball operations. Ocampo joined the Astros organization as Director of International in 2012 and has played a significant role in overseeing the club's international scouting and player development efforts.
Armando Velasco, who had served as Assistant Director, Player Development, has been promoted to Director of Minor League Operations. His duties will include overseeing the day-to-day operations of the minor leagues, including both domestic and international affiliates and staff. Velasco has been with the Astros since January of 2014 after internships with both the New York Mets and ISE Baseball. Velasco will report to Luhnow.
Eve Rosenbaum has been promoted to Manager of International Scouting, which will include the coordination and management of the international scouting efforts across Latin America and Asia. Rosenbaum had served as the Astros International Scouting Specialist prior to her promotion. Eve joined the Astros in January of 2015 after spending two and a half years with the NFL. Rosenbaum will report to Mike Elias.
Charles Cook has been promoted to Manager of Amateur Scouting Analysis. He will manage the newly-created Amateur Scouting Analysis group to assist the amateur and international acquisition groups. Cook had served as Baseball Operations Coordinator prior to his promotion.   Cook will report to Elias.
Matt Hogan has been promoted to Manager of Pro Scouting Analysis. As part of his new duties, he will manage the newly-created Pro Scouting Analysis group to assist with all pro player transactions. Hogan had been Coordinator, Major League Advance Information. Hogan will report to Taubman.
Brendan Fournie has been promoted to Manager of Baseball Operations, where he will manage the day-to-day baseball operations for the Major League team. Fournie had served as Baseball Operations Coordinator. Fournie will report to Taubman.
Jay Edmiston (Director, Florida Operations) will continue in his role and report to Velasco. Pete Putila (Director, Player Development) will continue in his role and now report to Luhnow. Mike Fast (Director, Research and Development), will continue in his role and now report to Taubman. Bill Firkus (Director, Sports Medicine and Performance) and Sig Mejdal (Special Assistant to the GM) will continue in their respective roles and report to Luhnow.
"The past five years have been invaluable assisting Jeff and our front office staff to re-establish a winning culture in Houston," McCracken said. "I would like to thank Jim Crane, Jeff Luhnow and the entire Astros organization for the opportunities over the past five seasons and I wish them the very best in the future. Looking ahead, I am very excited for this opportunity to spend some much-needed time with my family and for the next chapter in my career." 
Regarding the new promotions, Luhnow said, "I am proud of the talent within our baseball operations team and congratulate each of these leaders on their new roles. These changes set a foundation for us as we remain committed to developing the best front office organization in MLB and ensure that we will continue to be a competitive team on the field for years to come. "