Dusty Baker reportedly retired due to the media, Houston Astros’ analytics involvement

The Houston Astros were one of the most dominant teams in baseball with manager Dusty Baker, winning a World Series and making it to the American League Championship Series in four consecutive years. Without him, they are near the bottom of the MLB standings .

Following the Astros’ elimination in Game 7 of the 2023 ALCS to the Texas Rangers, Baker announced his retirement. However, the 74-year-old is still involved with the game as he currently serves as a special adviser to baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants.

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• Dusty Baker record : 2,183-1,862 overall (.540), 320-226 (.586) with the Houston Astros

Baker was replaced with Astros manager Joe Espada, a former assistant with the Florida Marlins (2010-’13) and New York Yankees (2015-’17), before he joined Houston’s coaching staff in 2018. However, despite keeping continuity in the clubhouse, the Astros have been one of the worst teams in baseball this season.

Entering MLB games today , the Astros have the fourth-worst record in baseball. One big reason for the results is Houston’s pitching staff which ranks 26th in ERA (4.92) and 28th in both WHIP (1.47) and K-BB rate (10.9 percent). Amid mounting frustrations in Houston, the reasoning for Baker’s retirement is notable.

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According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today , Baker retired because of “the constant media criticism and interference” from the Astros’ analytics team. Houston has always been one of the more analytically-driven teams in MLB and the amount of input they had in the organization seemed to be a big issue for Baker.

Considering the Astros’ struggles this season, the media scrutiny for the organization and Espada in his first year as a skipper is even greater. While there’s no telling how differently things would look in the standings if Baker stuck around, his demeanor in the clubhouse certainly would have benefited Houston during a rough period for the franchise.

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