From Jay Z to Moneyball to Psychology 101: An update of the A.J. Hinch file

A.J. Hinch was back in La Jolla, Calif., this weekend with his family, his first week as Astros manager behind him. He, general manager Jeff Luhnow and others in the organization had long days this week in Houston, working to get Hinch acclimated after he was officially hired Monday.

There’s a lot left to do.

“The two things that are the most pressing: trying to get a hold of all of our players and introduce myself,” Hinch said. “I actually have a relationship with a handful of ‘em. And No. 2 is getting to know the coaching staff that exists, and starting to build for what that looks like going forward.

“I’m going to plan some interviews in the next couple weeks to start to anchor down what this coaching staff’s going to like.”

Those interviews include those already on staff. For the bench coach position, Hinch is interested in bringing on someone with prior major league managing experience.

Pitching coach Brent Strom is the only incumbent who has been retained thus far. He was the only one under contract for 2015, but that’s not an automatic trigger for retention.

For all of Strom’s ties to general manager Jeff Luhnow and the front office, Strom has ties to Hinch. Hinch played for the Kansas City Royals in 2001, when Strom was also the major league pitching coach.

Here is a question-and-answer session with the new Astros skipper, lightly edited for clarity:

Your name is Andrew Jay Hinch. Does anyone call you Andy?

Never. I used to go by Andrew when I was very, very young, and then my grandmother started nicknaming me A.J. and it stuck ever since. To the point where, if someone said Andy or Andrew or Drew, I probably wouldn’t even blink.

Do people assume you’re a junior when they see “A.J.”?

They do, and they also wonder how to spell it — is it ‘A, period, J, period,’ or ‘Jay’ spelled out? Sort of funny. It’s easy to sign.

What’s your favorite memory as a player?

On the amateur side, it was definitely the ’96 Olympics in Atlanta representing our country. And professionally, the obvious one is always the major league debut. Mine was facing Pedro Martinez and catching Tom Candiotti (on April 1, 1998 in a 2-0 Red Sox win over the Oakland Athletics). So I had Pedro in his prime and I was catching a knuckleballer.

You went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts that day.

As far as most enjoyable, we got to celebrate (an American League West title) in 2000, the A’s. I wasn’t a big part of that team, I was bouncing around. But getting to witness that celebration and getting into the playoffs to face the Yankees certainly shows you what you’re looking for.

You were a teammate at Stanford of Brodie Van Wagenen, now the co-head of Creative Artists Agency, one of the most powerful agencies in baseball.

Brodie’s a very, very close friend. In-each-other’s-wedding type of friend.

Wagenen is central to the partnership between CAA and Jay Z’s agency, Roc Nation Sports. Does that mean the Astros will have a leg up on Jay Z’s next big client?

Either that, or concert tickets, whichever comes first.

How do you feel about the bunt?

I think you have to maximize your 27 outs. There’s a time and place for everything, so never say never. Outs are at a premium. You got to take care of all of them.

Did you get to know Billy Beane in your years with the A’s?

I consider Billy a close friend. One of the first front office guys to talk to me. He’s someone I respect and have stayed in touch with over the years as obviously a great creative mind. Also, he was one of the first executives that influenced my career. When I was going through a slump early in my rookie year, he pulled me aside and told me I was a good player, that he believed in me, and he told me that I’m never going to have to use my Stanford education. I just joked back with him, he must’ve forgotten what righthanded sliders had looked like.

What did he say?

He just laughed, told me to get some more hits.

Why did you study psychology in college?

I was always interested in sports psychology. The cerebral part of the game has always been attractive to me. So it was a little bit more of an emphasis to get into sports psychology. Stanford didn’t have that major specifically, so I ended up having a broader study. As a catcher, it’s pretty useful in handling a pitching staff and the success-failure of the game. I loved that from the beginning.

Your time managing in Arizona from 2009-10 was marked by immigration policy debates. How did that impact your experience there?

We were right in the middle of it. I think that’s one thing you learn. In doing all the media and the media attention that comes with being the leader of a team, it becomes an easy place to be in front of a camera or microphone. That and a bunch of other things show how much players, coaches, managers, they have to deal with on a daily basis with how public these jobs are.

The Astros employ Sig Mejdal as their director of decision sciences. Do you know what a director of decision sciences does?

(Laughs) No, but I asked. I asked the question during the interview process. I got to know Sig during the interviews. Not one that I had heard before but I have a little better understanding today than I certainly did before.

You knew Bo Porter. Were you surprised to hear what happened here?

Bo has a lot of passion. And I played with Bo, I had him on my staff in Arizona. So I know the intensity that he brings and the passion that he brings. Probably the good part is I don’t know specifically on how these things break down. I have a lot of respect for the good things that people bring before me.

You were 34 years old when you first took over a major league team in 2009. That’s younger than Astros closer Chad Qualls was this past season. (Coincidentally, you also had Qualls in Arizona.) Why will the veterans take to you?

I’m a little older now than Arizona (at 40 years old). I think the learning experience lends itself to having a better understanding of players, young and old. Players, they pay attention to how you treat them, how you interact with them, what you can do to help them prepare a little bit better. I think the successes and the struggles that happen in these jobs, when you’ve had it before, can only make it a lot better handling those situations. I think the veteran players I’ve talked to already, Qualls and (Scott) Feldman and others, I have no concern about any of our players, young or old. They will know that I care. I care about what they have done in their career and will respect that. I care about getting the most out of them to help us win.

What’s your biggest vice?