Former Houston Astros Manager Joins Division Rival
While the MLB offseason has yet to fully kick into high gear, teams have been busy filling out their coaching staffs before turning their attention to the impending flurry of player movement.
The Houston Astros have already taken care of business on that front, promoting bench coach Joe Espada to replace the recently retired Dusty Baker as manager.
The Los Angeles Angels have also been busy in that regard as well, hiring Ron Washington to be their new manager. They also brought in a former manager from their division rivals in Houston.
Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reported late on Sunday night that former Astros manager Bo Porter is joining the Angels' coaching staff. He will serve as their new first base coach, replacing Damon Mashore.
This was a surprising announcement given that Porter hasn't coached in the MLB ranks since 2016, after which he ran MLB's short-lived free agent camp in 2018 and worked as a TV analyst for the Washington Nationals.
Houston fans may remember Porter from his brief stint as the team's manager from 2013 to 2014. He had the misfortune of helming the franchise during its rebuilding phase in the first half of the 2010s, which included a 51-111 campaign during his first season in 2013.
The Astros improved to 59-79 during Porter's second season before he was suddenly fired at the beginning of September. Despite the team's improvement, Porter was let go due to his growing rift with general manager Jeff Luhnow, who did not see eye-to-eye with his skipper.
Despite being the youngest manager in the majors at the time of his dismissal (42), Porter has not received another managing job since. He joined the Atlanta Braves as their third base coach from 2015 to 2016 before becoming a special assistant to the Braves' general manager.
It's good to see Porter getting another coaching opportunity in the big leagues after such a long layoff. Perhaps his new job with Los Angeles will ultimately be a stepping stone to another managerial role someday.
