Art Howe
Encyclopedia
Arthur Henry Howe Jr. (born December 15, 1946 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
) is a former Major League Baseball
infielder
, coach
, scout and manager
. He is an alumnus of the University of Wyoming
. He managed the Houston Astros
(1989–1993), Oakland Athletics
(1996–2002), and New York Mets
(2003–2004), compiling a career record of 1,129 wins against 1,137 defeats (.498).
in 1971. He came to the major leagues as a part-time player with Pittsburgh in 1974–75, before a trade to the Astros for infielder Tommy Helms
on January 6, 1976. He played all four infield positions, mostly as a third baseman
and second baseman
, for Houston from 1976–82. In only playing in 125 games in 1977 and alternating between 2B, SS and 3B, Howe only committed 8 errors. On May 7, 1980, Art suffered a fractured jaw when hit by a pitch from Expos pitcher Scott Sanderson
. After missing the entire 1983 season with an injury, he finished his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals
(1984–85). The right-handed hitter appeared in 891 games over all or parts of 11 seasons, compiling a lifetime batting average
of .260 with 43 home run
s.
In 1986, Howe began his coaching career as an aide to Bobby Valentine
with the Texas Rangers
. After three seasons, he was hired by his old team, the Astros, as manager for 1989, succeeding Hal Lanier
. Howe enjoyed a successful first season in Houston, but the team was rebuilding with young players such as Jeff Bagwell
and Craig Biggio
, and suffered losing years in 1990–91. In 1992 and 1993 the Astros improved to .500 and then a winning record, but Howe was fired in favor of Terry Collins
at the close of the '93 campaign. During the 1994–95 Dominican Winter League season, Howe led the Azucareros del Este
to their only championship.
After a year as a Major League scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers
, and spending 1995 as bench coach for the Colorado Rockies
, Howe was selected to replace the high-profile Tony La Russa
as manager of the Athletics for 1996. The A’s suffered through three losing seasons under Howe before, in 1999, they returned to contention. In 2000, 2001 and 2002, the A’s won 91, 102 and 103 games respectively and made the American League
playoffs in each season. But they did not win a playoff series, and Howe and general manager
Billy Beane
grew estranged. At the end of 2002, despite a seven-year mark of 600–533 (.530), Howe was released from his Oakland contract to become the highly paid manager of the New York Mets
.
Oscar winning actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman portrayed Howe in the film Moneyball
, which dramaticized Billy Beane's tactics of using sabremetrics to select players. Howe stated that he was unhappy with his portrayal in both the film and the Michael Lewis
book it was based on, in which he was portrayed as a stubborn traditionalist who refused to follow Beane's plans and a figurehead who acquiesced while Beane ran the A's from the clubhouse. He said it was unfortunate that Beane's lack of regard for him was that obvious.
Howe's two years in New York proved highly unsuccessful. The Mets won only 42% of their games, the front office went through three general managers, and attendance at Shea Stadium
fell. In September 2004, word of Howe’s impending firing was leaked to the media two weeks before the season ended, but he was allowed to finish the year. Ultimately, the general manager of the club, Omar Minaya
, replaced Howe with Willie Randolph
, bench coach for the New York Yankees
.
On October 16, 2006, Howe was hired as the third base coach and an infield instructor by the Philadelphia Phillies
. After the Texas Rangers
hired Ron Washington
– a former coach under Howe in Oakland – as their new manager, the Phillies gave Howe permission to speak with the Rangers about any openings in the organization. On November 7, 2006, Howe was hired by the Rangers as Washington's bench coach. He served two years in that role (2007–08) but his contract was not renewed at the end of the Rangers' disappointing 2008 season.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
) is a former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
, coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
, scout and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
. He is an alumnus of the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
. He managed the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
(1989–1993), Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1996–2002), and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
(2003–2004), compiling a career record of 1,129 wins against 1,137 defeats (.498).
Playing career
Howe signed his first playing contract at age 24, with the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
in 1971. He came to the major leagues as a part-time player with Pittsburgh in 1974–75, before a trade to the Astros for infielder Tommy Helms
Tommy Helms
Tommy Vann Helms is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Over a fourteen year career , Helms played for four different teams, including eight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, four with the Houston Astros, and one apiece with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox...
on January 6, 1976. He played all four infield positions, mostly as a third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
and second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
, for Houston from 1976–82. In only playing in 125 games in 1977 and alternating between 2B, SS and 3B, Howe only committed 8 errors. On May 7, 1980, Art suffered a fractured jaw when hit by a pitch from Expos pitcher Scott Sanderson
Scott Sanderson
Scott Douglas Sanderson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for seven teams from 1978 to 1996.-Baseball career:...
. After missing the entire 1983 season with an injury, he finished his playing career with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
(1984–85). The right-handed hitter appeared in 891 games over all or parts of 11 seasons, compiling a lifetime batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of .260 with 43 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s.
As a coach and manager
Bobby Valentine
Robert John "Bobby V" Valentine is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He previously managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan...
with the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
. After three seasons, he was hired by his old team, the Astros, as manager for 1989, succeeding Hal Lanier
Hal Lanier
Harold Clifton Lanier is a former infielder, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. From through , Lanier played for the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees...
. Howe enjoyed a successful first season in Houston, but the team was rebuilding with young players such as Jeff Bagwell
Jeff Bagwell
Jeffrey Robert Bagwell , is a former American professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire fifteen-year Major League Baseball career as a first baseman for the Houston Astros and was a four-time All-Star...
and Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros . He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He...
, and suffered losing years in 1990–91. In 1992 and 1993 the Astros improved to .500 and then a winning record, but Howe was fired in favor of Terry Collins
Terry Collins
Terry Lee Collins is the manager for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. A former minor league shortstop, Collins managed the Albuquerque Dukes of the Pacific Coast League, the Buffalo Bisons of the International League, the Duluth Huskies of the summer collegiate Northwoods League, and...
at the close of the '93 campaign. During the 1994–95 Dominican Winter League season, Howe led the Azucareros del Este
Azucareros del Este
The Toros del Este are a baseball team in the Dominican Winter League established in . Based in the eastern city of La Romana, the Toros have reached four championship series in their history, winning the title in and 2011....
to their only championship.
After a year as a Major League scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, and spending 1995 as bench coach for the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
, Howe was selected to replace the high-profile Tony La Russa
Tony La Russa
Anthony "Tony" La Russa, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball manager and infielder, best known for his tenures as manager of the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals...
as manager of the Athletics for 1996. The A’s suffered through three losing seasons under Howe before, in 1999, they returned to contention. In 2000, 2001 and 2002, the A’s won 91, 102 and 103 games respectively and made the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
playoffs in each season. But they did not win a playoff series, and Howe and general manager
General manager (baseball)
In Major League Baseball, the general manager of a team typically controls player transactions and bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players....
Billy Beane
Billy Beane
William Lamar "Billy" Beane III is a former Major League Baseball player and the current general manager and minority owner of the Oakland Athletics...
grew estranged. At the end of 2002, despite a seven-year mark of 600–533 (.530), Howe was released from his Oakland contract to become the highly paid manager of the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
.
Oscar winning actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman portrayed Howe in the film Moneyball
Moneyball (film)
Moneyball is a 2011 biographical sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film is based on Michael Lewis' 2003 book of the same name, an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane's attempts to...
, which dramaticized Billy Beane's tactics of using sabremetrics to select players. Howe stated that he was unhappy with his portrayal in both the film and the Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis may refer to:*Michael Lewis , American non-fiction author and financial journalist*Michael Lewis , Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf*Michael Lewis , Belizean racing cyclist...
book it was based on, in which he was portrayed as a stubborn traditionalist who refused to follow Beane's plans and a figurehead who acquiesced while Beane ran the A's from the clubhouse. He said it was unfortunate that Beane's lack of regard for him was that obvious.
Howe's two years in New York proved highly unsuccessful. The Mets won only 42% of their games, the front office went through three general managers, and attendance at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
fell. In September 2004, word of Howe’s impending firing was leaked to the media two weeks before the season ended, but he was allowed to finish the year. Ultimately, the general manager of the club, Omar Minaya
Omar Minaya
Omar Teodoro Antonio Minaya y Sánchez is a former baseball executive who served as General Manager for the Montreal Expos and New York Mets.-Early life:...
, replaced Howe with Willie Randolph
Willie Randolph
Willie Larry Randolph is a former Major League Baseball second baseman and manager, most recently the third base coach for the Baltimore Orioles...
, bench coach for the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
.
On October 16, 2006, Howe was hired as the third base coach and an infield instructor by the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. After the Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
hired Ron Washington
Ron Washington
Ronald Washington is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and the current manager of the Texas Rangers. Prior to managing the Rangers, Washington coached in the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics organizations.-Playing career:Washington was signed by the Kansas City Royals on July 17, 1970...
– a former coach under Howe in Oakland – as their new manager, the Phillies gave Howe permission to speak with the Rangers about any openings in the organization. On November 7, 2006, Howe was hired by the Rangers as Washington's bench coach. He served two years in that role (2007–08) but his contract was not renewed at the end of the Rangers' disappointing 2008 season.
Personal
Howe is married to his high school sweetheart, Betty. They have three children and three grandchildren.Managerial statistics
| Team | |Regular Season | Houston Astros Houston Astros The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field... |
1989 | 162 | 86 | 76 | .531 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 162 | 75 | 87 | .463 | 5th in NL West | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1991 | 162 | 65 | 97 | .401 | 6th in NL West | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1992 | 162 | 81 | 81 | .500 | 4th in NL West | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1993 | 162 | 85 | 77 | .525 | 3rd in NL West | – | – | – | – | |||
| Houston Astros Total | 810 | 392 | 418 | .484 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| Oakland Athletics Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum.... |
1996 | 162 | 78 | 84 | .481 | 3rd in AL West | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1997 | 162 | 65 | 97 | .401 | 4th in AL West | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1998 | 162 | 74 | 88 | .457 | 4th in AL West | – | – | – | – | |||
| 1999 | 162 | 87 | 75 | .537 | 2nd in AL West | – | – | – | – | |||
| 2000 | 161 | 91 | 70 | .565 | 1st in AL West | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost to New York Yankees New York Yankees The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division... |
|||
| 2001 | 162 | 102 | 60 | .630 | 2nd in AL West | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost to New York Yankees New York Yankees The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division... |
|||
| 2002 | 162 | 103 | 59 | .636 | 1st in AL West | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost to Minnesota Twins Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the... |
|||
| Oakland Athletics Total | 1,133 | 600 | 534 | .530 | 2 Division Championships 1 Wild Card |
6 | 9 | .400 | 3 Playoff Appearances | |||
| New York Mets New York Mets The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League... |
2003 | 161 | 66 | 95 | .410 | 5th in NL East | – | – | – | – | ||
| 2004 | 162 | 71 | 91 | .438 | 4th in NL East | – | – | – | – | |||
| New York Mets Total | 323 | 137 | 186 | .424 | – | – | – | – | ||||
| Total | 2,266 | 1,129 | 1,137 | .498 | 6 | 9 | .400 | 3 Playoff Appearances | ||||
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com – career managing record and playing statistics