Two-time Pac-10 Player of the Year A.J. Hinch ’96 was hired on Monday as manager of the Houston Astros. Hinch served as the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks for two seasons before serving as vice president of scouting for the San Diego Padres.
During his career as a catcher on the Stanford baseball team, Hinch hit over .300, including a stellar senior year in which he hit .381 with 11 home runs and 59 RBI. In addition, the psychology major caught for the Cardinal’s 1995 College World Series team, and earned a bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. For his accomplishments, Hinch will be inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame on October 11, 2014.
“To know me is to know I like winning,” Hinch told GoStanford. “I like to compete. I see great things ahead here for the Houston Astros. The goal is to win championships. It’s going to take energy and commitment and great coaches, some of which are already here.”
Despite being drafted as a third-round pick in the 1995 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins, Hinch chose to stay at Stanford for his senior year on the Farm. The following year, he was selected in the third round once again, and began his MLB career with the Oakland A’s in 1998. Over his Major League career, Hinch batted .219 with 32 home runs.
Hinch will join other Cardinal alumni in Houston, including ex-Cardinal catcher Jason Castro ’13 (who played from 2006 to 2008 for the Card), an All-Star for the Astros in 2013, and Mark Appel ’13, who after being picked No. 1 overall in the 2013 MLB Draft is in the team’s farm system.
Contact Ashley Westhem at awesthem ‘at’ stanford.edu.