Astros fire Berry, hire Bagwell as hitting coach
HOUSTON <--relatedLinks-->
Berry became "a victim of circumstances" as the Astros'
offense has sputtered this season, general manager Ed Wade said.
Still, Wade believes the offense can do more and hopes Bagwell can
help that happen.
"We know we can get better, but we also know there are players
here that should be better and hopefully with a different voice in
Jeff Bagwell, they'll recognize the measure of accountability that
they have in this whole process so we will get better," Wade said.
The move gives Houston hitters a chance to work with one of the
most beloved and successful players in franchise history.
In 15 seasons with the Astros, the former first baseman set
franchise records with 449 home runs and 1,529 RBIs. Bagwell was
the National League rookie of the year in 1991, the NL's most
valuable player in 1994 and a four-time All-Star.
Berry, who has been the hitting coach for the past five seasons,
was given a chance to remain with the franchise in a development
role. He hadn't yet decided if he'll accept that opportunity.
Wade knows great players don't necessarily make good coaches,
but believes Bagwell will be successful after what he's shown
working with the team as special assistant to the general manager
since retiring in 2006.
"He's very levelheaded," Wade said. "He communicates very
well, particularly with regard to the nuances of the game. We've
seen him have a significant impact on some of our minor league
hitters with the information he's able to convey. So he's got the
interest and the passion in doing this and we think it's
appropriate to give him the opportunity to see if it works or
not."
Bagwell was not in uniform for Sunday's game against the
Cardinals and will join the team Thursday in Pittsburgh for a
workout before the start of Friday's series with the Pirates.
"Fans love Bagwell so that's the first thing. He's a legend
here," center fielder Michael Bourn said. "(He) did a lot of
damage here so of course he knows how to hit. So I'm pretty sure he
has some (things) he could point out to us and he's probably been
seeing some things from up top. So we'll see what it does for us."
The Astros entered Sunday's game with the second worst batting
average in the majors (.237), the worst on-base percentage (.295)
and are tied for 28th with just 57 home runs this season. Only
Seattle and Pittsburgh have fewer hits than the 691 Houston has
managed this year.
Star slugger Lance Berkman entered Sunday's game hitting .252
and cleanup hitter Carlos Lee is batting .238. Each has 12 home
runs apiece. Second baseman Jeff Keppinger has the best average in
Houston's starting lineup at .279.
Berkman said it stings to know the struggles of the offense cost
Berry his job.
"I haven't hit and Carlos hasn't hit like he can and others
haven't and it's not Sean's fault," Berkman said. "It's one of
those things that when things aren't going well with the players,
you have to shake something up and the most expendable pieces a lot
of times are the coaching staff."
Though he was disappointed to see Berry leave, Berkman is
looking forward to working with Bagwell.
"Jeff has always been one of my mentors in the game and I'm
excited that he's going to be around more," Berkman said. "I told
him (Saturday) that he helps me more than anybody even when he's
not around just from all the things that he told me during the time
that we played together. So it will be great to have him around and
have his expertise available."