Astros bring back Strom as pitching consultant for final stretch
Brent Strom is returning to the Houston Astros as a pitching consultant for the last 29 games of the season. Manager Joe Espada announced the move Thursday, citing Strom's experience and perspective. The Astros have struggled on the mound, posting a 4.68 ERA entering Thursday.
Strom, 77, previously guided Houston's pitching staff from 2014 through 2021, a period during which the club posted the American League's lowest ERA. He developed Cy Young winners Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander, plus runner-up Gerrit Cole, and revitalized the careers of Collin McHugh, Charlie Morton, and Ryan Pressly. After leaving Houston, he led Arizona's staff to the 2023 National League pennant before a brief Pirates tenure ended last season.
The Astros' rotation currently carries a 5.17 ERA, with only two teams worse, and just ten starts of seven-plus innings all year. Strom already knows several current pitchers, including Bryan Abreu, Cristian Javier, and Mike Burrows, whom he coached in Pittsburgh. The club holds a slim half-game division lead over Texas despite the staff's struggles.
This move could signal how contending teams increasingly rely on veteran institutional knowledge during late-season pressure. Fans and players may feel reassured by Strom's proven track record, potentially stabilizing clubhouse morale amid front-office turmoil following Dana Brown's dismissal. However, a consultant's impact on actual on-field performance remains uncertain, and the move may ultimately serve more as a psychological boost than a mechanical fix for Houston's depleted rotation.