James Click

James Click

• School Yale University

• Born circa 1978

Biographical Information

James Click was named General manager of the Houston Astros on February 4, 2020, replacing Jeff Luhnow who was fired as a result of Houston's setting up a sign-stealing operation during the 2007 season.

From Durham, NC, Click fit very much into the mold of the 2010s front office personnel, having graduated from an Ivy League school - in his case Yale University - and having a background in analytics as a former writer for Baseball Prospectus. His first baseball job was as an intern with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005, just after graduation, which turned into a permanent gig the following year when he was hired as director of baseball research and development. He later worked in baseball operations, including player evaluation and development, and became Vice President of baseball operations in 2017, then was hired by Astros owner Jim Crane when circumstances forced him to look outside his own organization for new front office leadership, given scandals had forced him to let go of his GM, Luhnow, assistant GM Brandon Taubman and manager A.J. Hinch in the span of three months.

Click managed to right the ship, as the Astros snuck into the postseason in 2020 thanks to the expanded postseason format resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and then to the World Series in both 2021 and 2022. While the lost the first year, they defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games the next year. Yet, less than a week after that triumph, Click was let go, as he declined Houston's offer of just a one-year contract. There had been hints of a disagreement with owner Crane, but still his being let go after winning a World Series was something unprecedented in the past seven or more decades.

He found his next job in February 2023 when he joined the Toronto Blue Jays as Vice-President of Baseball Strategy, working closely with General Manager Ross Atkins.

Preceded by Jeff Luhnow

Houston Astros General Manager 2020-2022

Succeeded by Dana Brown

Further Reading

• Zach Crizer: "Astros part ways with GM James Click days after winning World Series. Who will take over the champs?", Yahoo! Sports, November 11, 2022. [1]
• Brian McTaggart: "Astros name James Click general manager", mlb.com, February 4, 2020. [2]
• Brian McTaggart: "World Series champ Astros, GM James Click part ways", mlb.com, November 11, 2022. [3]
• Chandler Rome: "James Click: the making of a baseball GM", Houston Chronicle, March 12, 2020. [4]