2015 baseball kicks off with Hooks vs. Astros

The Hooks are back in town and the 2015 baseball season is about to go into full swing. Corpus Christi's AA minor league team hosts the American League Astros Thursday, April 2, at Whataburger Field. They then travel to Springfield, Missouri, for a round of play before returning to host the Springfield team in their home opener April 16.
The season looks promising with the addition of a new field manager and the core of a winning team that is probably coming with him. Rodney Linares, 37, takes over the team after leading the High-A Lancaster JetHawks to their first championship title in 17 years last season. He expects many of the same players to end up with the Hooks this year. 
“We haven’t broken down the teams yet, but I’m pretty sure the core group of guys — the ones who started in Lancaster last year — will be here with me,” Linares told Corpus Christi Business News. “Either that, or they’ll end up in AAA. They are a young, talented team, and I’m looking forward to getting out there with them.”
A native of the Dominican Republic, LInares and his family have a home in Puerto Rico. He has spent most of his career with the Astros, just as his father has, so he feels Houston is a second home to him. 
“I’ve spent a lot of time in Texas,” he said. “I’m down with Texas.” 
He especially looks forward to Corpus Christi because he says he has heard such great things about the community and its love of baseball. 
“You have one of the best fan bases in the minor leagues,” Linares said. “And the park is beautiful.” 
He expects the Corpus Christi fans to be loud and proud of their team. 
“There is nothing to get you more pumped up than listening to the crowd,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to that. I hear the Corpus Christi fans really get behind their team.”
Linares refers to fans as “the 10th player,” which is why teams experience a home-field advantage, he said. 
“It puts you at a whole different level,” he said. “You’re at home. You experience less anxiety. It’s like a home-cooked meal from Mama.”
The Houston Astros have been that home-cooked meal for Linares and his family since he was a kid hanging out with his father, another longtime player and manager with the Astros. Although he started his career on the field as a Detroit Tiger, Linares has always had a connection with the Astros.
“I’ve known people here (with the Astros) who knew me as a little baby,” he said. He began working in baseball at a young age, another reason he feels such a familial connection to the team. 
“I didn’t have the luxury of being a teenager who could go out there and run around,” he said. “I’ve worked in baseball so long. Being an Astro has made it that much easier. I love working with people I admire and look up to. And they treat me with respect in return.”
Linares stands to garner the same credibility in Corpus Christi if his record as a field manager holds true to past performance. He took the JetHawks to the playoffs four of the past five seasons. They won the California League Championship last year.  
Linares comes to Corpus Christi as the sixth field manager, following Keith Bodie, who led the team through three seasons as the winningest field manager. Bodie took the Hooks to the Texas League playoffs in his first two seasons but was fired after a failed third season last year.
After their first season in 2005, the Hooks won their only championship the next year under Dave Clark. With Linares, they are looking for another championship but won’t forget the other purpose of the team: to groom new players for the Major League Astros. 
“I will tell you what I tell my players and my coaches: My No. 1 goal is to help players get to the Big Leagues,” Linares said. “ At the same time, winning and developing go hand in hand. We’ve proven it. I’ve got a little bit of a track record with it.” 
That said, Linares promised to “do everything in my power to make this the best season they’ve had so far.” 
“I look forward to giving them a championship,” Linares said with confidence. “I’m looking forward to putting on a show for them, making the players the best they can be.” 
For information about the team’s season schedule and to purchase tickets, visit the team website at corpuschristihooks.com.