A.J. Hinch, Manager of the 2017 World Series Champion Houston Astros, will be presented with the 2018 American Baseball Coaches Association Honor Award at the ABCA Convention in Indianapolis on January 6, 2018.
The Honor Award is presented each year to individuals involved in baseball who have distinguished themselves and are recognized for achievements in their profession. The World Series Champion manager will be presented the award and will speak during the Honors Luncheon presented by Diamond Kinetics on Jan. 6, 2018. Tickets to the Honors Luncheon must be purchased in advance here.
He will also address ABCA members on the main stage on Saturday morning during the clinics.
In three seasons with the Astros, Hinch’s clubs have racked up a record of 271-215 (.558) and made two postseason appearances. His 2017 won 101 games and went on to win the World Series, the first World Series victory in Astros history. They defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.
Hinch also assists USA Baseball with its Online Education Center, hosting educational modules centered around catching stances, receiving and blocking. The Education Center is a free resource that can be found at www.USABaseball.education.
An Iowa native, Hinch moved to Oklahoma at the age of eight and played his high school baseball at Midwest City High School, where he was an ABCA/Rawlings All-American in 1992. He was taken in the second round of the 1992 Major League Baseball draft out of high school, but decided to attend Stanford University.
A standout at Stanford under ABCA Hall of Fame coach Mark Marquess, Hinch established himself as one of the best catchers in school history. A two-time ABCA/Rawlings All-American and three-time All-Pac-10 team selection, Hinch earned Pac-10 Player of the Year honors twice (1995 and 1996). In 1996, Hinch led the Cardinal to the College World Series and was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
Following his collegiate career, Hinch helped the United States claim the bronze medal as a catcher at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Hinch was drafted for the third time in 1996 and signed with the Oakland Athletics. He played in 350 Major League games over parts of seven seasons with Oakland (1998-2000), Kansas City (2001-02), Detroit (2003) and Philadelphia (2004-05).
Hinch joined the Arizona Diamondbacks’ front office one month after his retirement as a player and was eventually named the team's Director of Player Development. He held that role until being named the Diamondbacks’ manager in 2009, becoming the youngest Manager in the Major Leagues at the time. Hinch also worked with the San Diego Padres before being the named Manager of the Houston Astros in 2014.
The ABCA Honor Award has been presented annually for more than 40 years. Recent Honor Award recipients include Jim Abbott, John Smoltz, Robert Manfred, Ned Yost, Tony LaRussa, Nolan Ryan and Mike Scioscia.