The Houston Astros are going to be run a bit different this year under first-time manager Joe Espada than what Dusty Baker had been doing throughout his tenure.
There's no doubt certain things will be similar because Espada learned under Baker while serving as his bench coach.
But, the new skipper is ready to put his own twist on things, evident by the new lineup that the Astros might be rolling with to start the year.
One thing that many fans are wondering about is how Espada will handle players who are in slumps.
While it would be amazing for Houston's loaded roster and superstar players to not struggle during the season, that's just not practical over the course of a 162-game schedule.
So, when players eventually do struggle, Espada has a plan for how he's going to deal with that.
"The confidence doesn't necessarily have to be shown by how long the leash is. I think it's more conversations and taking time to bring them in the office and let them know 'Hey, we have your back,'" he said according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
While that's not much of an insightful answer, it does point to the likelihood that he's not going to have a quick hook when players are slumping.
It might be frustrating for people on the outside to see a player performing poorly to continue getting opportunities, but it's important to remember that they likely will come out of it eventually and need confidence to do so.
The Astros have high aspirations this season as they chase the franchise's third World Series title.
With that comes pressure, which can cause poor performances.
Houston seemingly should be immune to that because of how often they've been in high-stakes games, but that's not always the case.
"Performance-wise, it's always up to the players. Our players know we're here to win and (if) you perform, you play," Espada added.
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