The Astros finally confirmed the last part of their staff, bringing back Doug Brocail as the pitching coach full-time. Brocail had been hired when Brad Arnsberg was fired from the position halfway through his second season with the team. Brocail had been a minor league pitching coordinator and special assistant to Ed Wade before being bumped up to the full-time gig.
↵The question is whether this was a good move. Brocail showed nothing in his tenure that distinguished himself, but neither did Arnsberg this season. Maybe all Brocail needed was a full season on the job to change what's going on, but we won't know for a while. As it stands, Houston finished with one of the highest ERAs in the majors and the second-highest walk rate.
↵There were some good signs to their effectiveness, as the Astros pitching staff had one of the better strikeout rates in the league and a middle-of-the-pack expected FIP. The problem, then, was with many of the pitchers being unlucky on the home run rate. Can Brocail fix that?
↵No, this just confirms how badly this organization needs a new start, a new direction. Brocail may be a nice placeholder, but he's not making a big impact on this staff. Few pitching coaches can do that and the Astros fired one of those to get Brocail.
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