First base coach Dave Clark and bullpen coach Dennis Martinez were fired yesterday, and Doug Brocail was moved from pitching coach into a Special Assistant to the GM role.
Luhnow:
I think the reality is we did not perform the way we wanted to. It's nobody's fault, but we came to the conclusion that bringing in a few new and different voices would help.
The struggles among the pitching staff are well-documented, and given that the 2013 Astros had the Worst Bullpen Ever In The History Of Baseball, it's easy to see that someone was going to take the fall for it. Luhnow says Martinez was let go so the new pitching coach could have a say in the hiring of the bullpen coach.
Brocail will oversee the development of the pitching prospects in the Astros system, and the Astros would like to have a coach who has played middle infield (roving instructor Adam Everett?):
One thing we're lacking is a coach that's had middle infield experience...That's probably going to be high on our list, probably someone who can bring along Villar and Altuve.
Via Fox26, Luhnow said of Clark:
It was difficult (to let Clark go)...At the end of the day, he's an outfield-baserunning instructor. Those are both Bo's strengths.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
