Astros P Dallas Keuchel said of fifth-year GM Jeff Luhnow and team Owner Jim Crane, "At first it was kind of more standoffish ... but now that [Luhnow's] kind of figured out his role, [Crane] with his role ... you see them in the clubhouse more often." Keuchel added, "You see them engaging with the players more often instead of the whole kind of gate between the players and the front office." Luhnow said of the team's heavy use of analytics, "We are so overwhelmed with information today that we didn't have five years ago that the ability to take that information and turn it into results really comes down to execution. That has a lot to do with the human component of our industry" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/3).
OUT FOR BLOOD: In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy in a front-page piece writes the Red Sox this season are "immersed in a sense of urgency." An early-season slump "simply will not fly with fans, bloodthirsty media" and new Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/4).
SIGN OF THE TIMES: Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that the team plans to "use iPads in the dugout" this season. Showalter: "We are using it. We have them. They're big. We've done the tutorial twice. Our guys that are real good at that have (explained it). ... Our guys understand it and obviously embrace it. I'm still getting a paper copy" (Baltimore SUN, 4/4).
OPPOSITES ATTRACT: In N.Y., Billy Witz notes Yankees manager Joe Girardi and GM Brian Cashman are "beginning their ninth season together," and the two are "something of an odd couple." The common ground "shared by Girardi and Cashman is a small parcel -- a taste for Italian food and their jobs" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/4).
