What they said, What they meant: Astros’ 2023 edition

Today we return to a little feature we have not visited in quite a while – WTSWTM. Basically, we pull out some Astros-related quotes from mlb.com, si.com and other sources. The What They Said is the direct coach-speak quotes. The What They Meant is what they really meant…..

Jose Altuve after his huge ALCS Game 5 three-run homer, when asked what his biggest post-season homer was….

  • What he said – “Yeah, I got to say this one, because it just happened, and still have the emotions, the adrenaline in me. Yeah, it was a cool moment, and because we ended up winning.”
  • What he meant – “This was big, but c’mon – I hit a walk-off homer against Aroldis Chapman in 2019 to put us in the World Series. That’s the real answer.”

Martin Maldonado after the Astros were humbled in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Rangers….

  • What he said – “I think for us to be a success is winning the World Series”.
  • What he meant – “Apparently I hold the team to a higher standard than myself.”

Chas McCormick after the same &%$#@ game…

  • What he said – “I mean, we just didn’t play well enough at home. That’s what finished our season. We didn’t win at home. Game 5, when we came back and won, I was like, ‘We have this. We’re going back to the World Series.’ It’s a different taste in the mouth just because I’ve been in the World Series my first two years in the big leagues, so it’s different.”
  • What he meant – “Hey, I did my part this year. I was one of the few who hit better at home than on the road. But let’s face it, I am in a weird position going to the World Series my first two seasons playing for a franchise that didn’t even make the WS for its first 43 seasons. I don’t know anything else.”

Manager Dusty Baker talking to Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson about why he was walking away…..

  • What he said – “We had a lot of success here, Ernie and Charles, and then the last couple of months here weren’t very pleasant, because we weren’t 10 games ahead. You spoil people. They think you’re supposed to win this every year running away and it’s not like that. Every year’s different.

    There was a whole bunch of criticism from 30-year-olds and bloggers and tweeters that I’m not doing this and I don’t know that and I told my wife, ‘You know, I’m kind of tired of this and tired of the scrutiny and if I could go manage and show up at say 6:30 for a 7 o’clock game and leave 30 minutes after the game, don’t do the (pregame and postgame interviews), I could manage for another four or five years.
  • What he meant – “After all these years I finally won the big one. So, everyone who hasn’t won the big one has no right to question anything I do. In fact, no one, even the people who directly or indirectly pay my salary gets to question anything I do. I’m taking my ball and going home.”

New Manager Joe Espada after being announced to the press….

  • What he said – “I’ve seen this team win a lot of games, and I know what it takes to win. I know how to push these players when to push them. It matters. The players trust me, but trust is earned and it’s a two-way street, and I think I’ve done a good job making sure these players know what it takes, and I think that helped me to be a good fit for this job. I really hoped that I was going to get a chance to stay home and manage this team. I love this city. I love this team. I love this community and I know I can protect and continue success and continue winning in this city.”
  • What he meant – “I love this city so much that I think I sabotaged some of those out-of-town interviews to stick around for this chance. It needed to be this time, I know this team and love this team and they know me and love me. To paraphrase Bum Phillips, let’s kick the damn door in.”

General Manager Dana Brown about his new manager…..

  • What he said – “This is probably one of my biggest hires of my career and it brings a lot of excitement to me…. I was looking for someone with leadership skills, someone who could communicate, someone who would collaborate and ultimately someone who was humble. I’ve had a chance to talk to Joe Espada almost the whole year and we’ve had great conversations, we hit it off early and I think, without a question, Joe is a good fit for this job.”
  • What he meant – “How many people picked up the gem I left in the middle of this ‘and ultimately someone who was humble’? Hmmm, anyone wondering who might not have been so humble?”

Bonus Round…

Bryan Abreu after plunking Adolis Garcia in Game 5 of the ALCS leading to both teams flooding the fields and a number of evictions….

  • What He Said – “My plan for him was to try to get the ball up and in. That’s my plan on him — up and in, slider down and away and all that. But I just missed the pitch, and he overreacted. I was like, ‘What’s going on here?’ I just missed it.”
  • What he meant – Your turn….
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38 responses to “What they said, What they meant: Astros’ 2023 edition”

  1. With Dusty Baker, it doesn’t matter what he meant. What matters is what he said. And what he said has stunned the baseball world media because now they know just who Dusty Baker is and you don’t hear anything about him since that interview.
    Thanks Mr. Baker for informing the world how you really feel.
    MMP was full of blogging, tweeting, 30 somethings, who spent tons of money to see their team win and got disappointed time after time in 2023.
    Goodbye, Mr. Baseball.
    Yours truly,
    Seventy-Something

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  2. When the opening day roster was announced the team carried 3 catchers. I felt Brown did that because he wanted Yainer playing; the move allowed Dusty the freedom to put Yainer in the lineup without worrying about losing the DH if Maldy took a foul tip off the finger in the 3rd inning. That is not what we saw. It was apparent that the two of them felt a different level of confidence about Diaz.

    It was obvious by his own comments that in July that he wanted Yainer in the lineup even when Alvarez returned. Instead, even after a great Jun and July we got probably not what Dana intended in September when Yainer saw just 12 starts.

    I don’t think it was a coincidence that information “leaked” that there was a disagreement between the front office and the other guy about Chas and his PT.

    I think this is what Brown meant by “humble.” Someone that looks at his vision of the roster and plays out that roster the way he intends – I feel like Brown and the other guy’s relationship was akin to Beane and Howe in Moneyball – where Beane builds a roster with the idea of it playing out this way but not having enough control over his experienced, veteran manager to get him to use the roster that way. Espada is a good hire for Brown, because he doesn’t have that capital built up to be able to just dismiss the GM.

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    • I guess it is an obvious comment by me Steven, but unlike Dusty, Espada “owes” his job to Dana Brown. Brown came in and had to live with the incumbent manager until he was able to put his guy in there. Interesting in many ways.

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    • Steven, it does make one wonder how the Brown-Baker work process compared to Luhnow – Hinch. I picture Luhnow – Hinch being much more collaborative. It’s not that I thought Luhnow made out the lineup, but I’m betting that if Luhnow or his team pulled out stats that showed that Yainer Diaz was better in almost every way than Martin Maldonado, that Hinch would not ignore it or tell the “young” GM to go sit in his office.
      I never thought that Maldy should just sit behind Diaz, but I certainly thought by the second half of the season that Diaz would have earned 4 or 5 starts behind the plate every week and another at 1B or DH.
      Oh, wait a minute, I’m just a blogger complaining about what I don’t know.

      I think the other part about what Dusty said that irks me is that he calls us spoiled because the team was not 10 games ahead like in previous years. The fans knew it was going to be a tougher season, because of the Yordan, Altuve, Garcia, McCullers, Brantley injuries. We are not stupid. But we also knew that in this tougher situation, the manager should be making decisions that might make a 3 to 5 game difference over the course of the season, rather than stubbornly sit there gnawing his toothpick.

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      • I was 67 in August – it’s just a number – but it does feel like a number that is weighing on me a bit more every year.

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      • I’m pretty sure Hinch was very accommodating of Luhnow’s suggestions. I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to defend Dusty’s decisions…because I would have played Diaz 75% of the games behind the dish and Chas would have been in the OF pretty much the whole year…but it’s kind of a weird dynamic these days in sports. If Chas isn’t working on what his manager has directed and gets sat we take his side because he is a better hitter than Julks or Meyers. If Diaz isn’t putting in the work to prepare for games and his approach at the plate isn’t changing we still expect him to play because our projections show that we’ll still win more games with him not walking and winging it on pitch selection. In the college world, thanks to NIL, some players make as much money as professionals and their coaches no longer have their ears. A coach can’t criticize or bench someone for not going for a rebound because the legion of internet bloggers and fans will blow it up into a controversy. You don’t even want to get me started on youth sports and a certain type of parent who can’t stop interfering and causing trouble.

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      • Devin – if the Chas thing was insubordination then I am on Dusty’s side on that – though if it is just that Chas was not the weight Dusty wanted him to be at – that is kind of a grey area.
        I never heard that Diaz was refusing to prepare – just that he was not preparing as much as Maldy. Now his situation is different. This was not just the fans saying Diaz should play more – but his front office GM – Dana Brown, supposedly an expert on player development was being ignored. This was not just bloggers and 30 year olds living in their mamas basement.
        I mean there are plenty of players who prepare like crazy, but are still not as good as other players with more talent. I used to practice like crazy at basketball – worked my butt off – but I wasn’t tall enough to continue on up the levels.

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  3. At 68, I’m pretty damned set in my ways. But I also have more time on my hands these days to read, ponder and find myself often at least listening to new ideas and considerations from my friends, neighbors and other’s I deal with on the regular basis in our tiny community, most younger than me and from a wide range of backgrounds. And of course I do watch the news and follow the world on line daily, however grim at times, which really helps me from taking myself too seriously.

    Dusty Baker turned out to be a stubborn, sometimes ignorant old coot, his head buried in the sand, refusing to see the present right there in his midst. And he would not listen to his peers. He even managed to confirm his thoughts by vocalizing them frequently. I wonder how much he affected his team. I also wonder how much he cost Jim Crane by not getting his team into the World Series.

    In 2024 Yainer Diaz will start posting stats and receiving glowing reviews for his hidden defensive prowess by a national media wondering what the 25 year old was doing in 2023. And likely too, there will be a couple of remaining fellow coots suggesting Dusty Baker did a fine job of preparing our catcher for a long distinguished career. But there will finally be those that realize the old wine maker once again wore out his welcome in yet another fine baseball city.

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  4. And while we’re on the subject of preparedness a previous comment was made about Maldonado’s preparedness noting that one never saw Maldy and Yanier talking or discussing how Maldy could impart his wisdom to Yanier. Personally, if this was true then Maldy was as bad as Dusty in being selfish, stubborn and egotistical. Therefore, I would not want to see him back on the team in any role what so ever.
    As to what Abreu meant was, “Maldy wanted me to throw a pitch that was as high and tight as I could possibly get it. It just got away from me. Why do you think Adolis went after Maldy right after the HBP?”

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  6. Some replies to my friends out there
    OP – It’s hard to believe with our history of so many losing years and disappointments with this franchise that we would want to unload a manager with as much success as Dusty Baker. But I guess I am just a stupid blogger. And he wanted out as much as we wanted him out.
    Steven – I should have asked you – but you meant above that you think that Dana Brown was the source of the leaks that came out? You always have interesting takes – like my other friends here.
    Devin – And I understand your comment about parents over-involving themselves in youth sports…
    Daveb – It is weird to wonder if the manager, who the team stated out loud they dedicated the 2022 championship to – ended up wearing thin on that same team in 2023
    Z – No idea if Maldy did or did not spend enough time with Diaz – if he did not – shame on him.

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    • No idea. I’m not a fan of speculation unless I am repeating someone elses speculation. I think Houston talk radio just called it a “front office” leak.

      Aaron Nola got 172M. This sets a new bar for 30 year old pitchers that basically are inning eaters that win a little bit more than they lose. Framber’s agent is definitely writing that contract down. Nola is going to be getting paid a lot of money in those age 35, 36, 37 and 38 seasons.

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      • Steven, am I still the only guy willing to consider moving Framber now, when he still has two years of club control? Like I’ve said, we’d have to find 200 innings from other sources, but the Astros will not be paying what he’ll get elsewhere else n the winter of 2025. And right now, he’s still a pretty valuable commodity.

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      • I keep hearing about the Yankees deep farm system, Dave. I say let’s get Cashman on the phone and make something happen! Would that be a mean thing to do to Framber?

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    • Dan, the club is made up of a bunch of guys with integrity. Guys that take the job very seriously, winners, year after year. I’m sure they were legitimately elated for Dusty when he finally reached the pinnacle. At the same time, those same guys expect professionalism from each other at all times. Imagine them having to deal with the 2023 version of their leader. They could have sat down in the clubhouse on Sunday mornings and collectively made out the line up cards for the coming week and had a better outcome. It had to be remarkably frustrating.

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    • Interesting trade speculation. I’d rather have Glasnow provided we can sign him to a decent deal (no rentals). When you look at our pitching staff we have lots of pitchers available in the starting role.
      JV 2025
      LMJ 2026
      Javier 2027
      France Pre Arb
      Brown Pre Arb
      Bielak Pre Arb
      Garcia 2027
      Urquidy 2026
      Valdez 2026
      Whitley????
      While only a couple would you consider TOR at this time it would seem that we could package a few to bring in a genuine #1 or #2. Maybe Dana Brown can pull of a coup and bring home the bacon.

      And BTW a Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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      • You tempted me into this comment by mentioning Whitley. Does anyone know if he’s resumed throwing since going down mid-summer? If I’m Dana Brown I’m looking at Whitley solely for a bullpen role in 2024. Only let him throw fastballs and sliders and plan to utilize him in 5th/6th inning situations early on. Tell him that his job is to miss bats and not walk people. If things go well you can consider transitioning back to the starting rotation next offseason. If things go poorly you think him for his service and let him go off into the sunset with his millions of dollars.

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    • I don’t know what Chron.com pays a sports reporter, but it can’t be much. This Shapiro article has factual errors. I still don’t get Cease being a reliable option, although he likely would give us the innings needed to replace Framber if my trade goes through. Glasnow would be great if healthy, but he never is for a full season. But sure, I’d give them France straight up!

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  8. What Abreu meant: The ball slipped from my hand like the bat slipped from Adolis’ hand after he hit the homer; just like the bat slipped from Jose Bautista’s hand in the 2015 playoffs…

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  9. Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday!
    Some thoughts:
    * I’m looking for the Astros to be a force on offense this coming season.
    * Wondering if the Astros will apply for special exemption to recover Forrest Whitley’s final option year that they lost due to his injury last season.
    * You can lead a player to the contract extension trough, but you can’t make him drink.

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  11. Happy Thanksgiving to all of the friends here! I am happy to have, and be among, those who think and have the same ideals as I have. Friends, like y’all, are hard to find. I cherish you all!

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    • Locally, but obviously not nationally, Astro fans are really thankful for having a new manager.

      As for Jose, we’re thankful for him everyday!

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  17. Jose Altuve is amazing. He accumulated 4.0 WAR in only 90 games.
    A comparison of him to the MLB average:
    * His batting average was 63 points higher than the MLB average.
    * His BB% was 2.1% higher than the MLB BB%. When did you ever think that would happen?
    * K rate was 5.4% less than average in MLB.
    * His SLG was 107 points higher than the average of the MLB player.
    * His OBP was 73 points higher than that of the average MLB player
    * Thus, his OPS was 180 points higher.
    * His wRC+ was 54% higher than the average MLB player
    * He had 17 HRs and 14 SBs in 90 games at age 33.
    * He had 50 RBIs in 90 games hitting from the leadoff spot with one of the weakest hitters in baseball hitting in the #9 spot in front of him.
    Altuve is elite!

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  18. Things you will probably not agree with:
    – The Kenedy Corona move by Dana Brown is an indicator that our GM is going to change directions and turn to Astros prospects rather than go out looking for free agents. He obviously has seen stuff I wasn’t seeing.
    – Cesar Salazar is not playing winter league ball like he has in the past. I think he will get a more pronounced look on spring training. It is okay if your backup catcher hits around .200, as long as your starting catcher doesn’t.
    – It wouldn’t surprise me to see a trade involving Framber, especially if he indicated he wouldn’t sign an extension. I’ll probably catch hell for this one.

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    • 1oldpro, I’m all for a Framber trade at this point IF we can come close to replacing his innings. We’ll get more for him now than we would in the future. And I don’t see us be paying him for a long term deal. I keep looking over at Seth Lugo.

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    • As far as an outfielder might go, I’d much rather see what young athletic guys like Corona or Loperfido might do this spring before spending 10 million plus on a Joc Peterson or a Kevin Kiermaier. We managed out there last year with Yordan covering just 40 starts in the field and Chas 105. If Jake does not bring any value in a trade, he’ll still be in the picture too. Worst case, we pick up an outfielder in late July if necessary. I do think Brown might go with a certain level of maturity for the back up catcher role, but hopefully not a 38 year old.

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