We noted this in yesterday’s newsletter, and apparently now it’s close to official: Reid Ryan will be the next president of the Houston Astros, according to a report in MLB.com.
The appointment will be announced at a news conference today.
The team is on the hunt for a new president/CEO after George Postolos resigned on Monday. This wasn’t an unexpected move: Postolos was part of the Drayton McLane, Jr. regime, and new Astros owner Jim Crane is pretty determined to remake the franchise his own way, bringing in Jeff Luhnow as GM, reshaping the farm system and mulling major changes to Minute Maid Park and the team’s spring-training situation.
Reid Ryan would be an intriguing choice. As president and CEO of Ryan-Sanders Baseball, he oversees the successful Round Rock Express (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) and Corpus Christi Hooks (Class AA; Texas League) franchises. He grew up around Astros baseball, and the name doesn’t hurt, either. It would also extend the youthful remaking of the Astros front office.
Ryan’s experience goes beyond the two MiLB franchises: he’s on the board of trustees for Minor League Baseball, the executive committee of the Pacific Coast League and the board of trustees for the Minor League Baseball Internet Rights Company (BIRCO).
“I’ve been around many people and none are more confident, more dedicated, more focused, more willing to do whatever it takes than Reid Ryan,” Don Sanders told MLB.com. “I’ve spent a lot of time with him in the last 15 years. If I owned a baseball team and I had the ability to hire anybody, he would be the one I would hire.”
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As we noted, this was first reported in the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter. Are you a subscriber? You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
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