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Jim Crane’s search for a new manager appears in its final days. The Astros owner said last week he hoped to narrow a wide list of candidates to “three, maybe four” by this weekend before making a decision “early this week.”

Crane claimed that managing the 2020 Astros is “not going to be really difficult.” “You just have to fill in the (lineup) card,” he said. Hiring a manager before picking a general manager is unusual, but Crane is combating an extraordinary circumstance. The team reports to spring training in less than three weeks. A leader is more urgently required.

Crane’s focus seems more centered on a candidate who can handle the pressure of shepherding a contending team through what promises to be an avalanche of criticism and contentious road environments. Prior managerial experience is not mandatory, Crane said, but five of the eight men who’ve interviewed possess it.

The interview process, according to Crane, has been a “three or four-pronged approach.” He’s allowing what remains of the Astros’ analytically-savvy baseball operations team ample involvement. How much Crane relies on their input could determine the eventual choice.

“I do the preliminary and I do the clean-up,” Crane said last week. “We kind of compare notes. I’ve learned from a long time that you learn a lot if four or five people talk to a key candidate. You get a lot more information. That’s the way we’ve been doing it.”

Photo: Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Buck Showalter

Managerial record: 1,551-1,517

Past managerial stops: New York Yankees (1992-95), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Texas Rangers (2003-06), Baltimore Orioles (2010-18)

Why he would fit: Aside from his notable on-field accomplishments — 77 wins per season and three Manager of the Year titles — Showalter is no stranger to handling circus-type atmospheres. He coached and managed the Yankees during the George Steinbrenner days. From 1992-93, he managed the club while Steinbrenner was in the middle of a three-year suspension. Showalter would afford stability in a place that currently has none of which to speak.

What causes concern: Showalter’s never fully embraced the analytical era to which his sport has shifted. The Astros, obviously, remain at the forefront of the movement. Showalter’s ability to show he can jive with such a style would bolster his candidacy.

Photo: Orlin Wagner, STF / AP

John Gibbons

Managerial record: 793-789

Past managerial stops: Toronto Blue Jays (2004-08, 2013-18)

Why he would fit: Aside from Joe Espada, Gibbons may have more knowledge of the current Astros clubhouse than any candidate. While with Toronto, he managed current Astros relievers Joe Smith, Joe Biagini and Roberto Osuna along with utilityman Aledmys Diaz. Gibbons’ time in with the Blue Jays was not astounding — just two playoff appearances in 11 seasons — but he formed a tight bond with players and fans. In his final game at Rogers Centre — coincidentally against the Astros — Gibbons received a standing ovation every time he exited the dugout. Diaz and Biagini have spoken this offseason of the joy they had playing for him.

What causes concern: Though it was under different general managers, Gibbons has only managed in one organization. He brings some of the same analytically-based questions as Showalter, but could be open to some change. Last October, Gibbons told The Athletic that “I don’t think there’s as much flexibility as there used to be,” given the advent of advanced statistics and how it dictates in-game moves.

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Will Venable

Managerial record: N/A

Major League coaching experience: Chicago Cubs first-base coach (2018-19), third-base coach (present)

Why he would fit: In many ways, Venable is the current era’s quintessential managerial candidate. He garnered interviews from the Cubs and Giants for their vacancies this offseason. Venable is not far removed from his playing days — he retired in 2016 — and undoubtedly understands the way in which the sport is advancing analytically. That he graduated from Princeton and has also held front-office roles only bolsters his resume.

What causes concern: The 37-year-old Venable has hardly any major league coaching experience — he only joined the Cubs staff in 2018. Whether Venable could handle a clubhouse filled with established veterans and a team favored to win its division — along with a seven-month media crush and expected invectives in other stadiums — is a legitimate question.

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Dusty Baker

Managerial record: 1,863-1,636

Past managerial stops: San Francisco Giants (1993-2002), Chicago Cubs (2003-06), Cincinnati Reds (2008-13), Washington Nationals (2016-17)

Why he would fit: Baker is a no-nonsense stabilizer, respected around the game for his acumen and ample successes with four different clubs. From 2013-17, Baker averaged 95 wins a season. He is 137 wins away from 2,000 — a benchmark only 11 other men have reached — and still seeks an elusive World Series title. That he guided the Giants during Barry Bonds’ 73-home run season in 2001, handling the many questions and speculation that surrounded it, could bode well for inheriting an Astros team in crisis.

What causes concern: Baker is 70, the oldest of the eight known candidates Jim Crane interviewed. He nonetheless seems reinvigorated by the challenge Houston would present. Baker’s most recent managerial stop came in a Nationals franchise that’s not the most analytically-inclined. Whether he would embrace the Astros’ reliance on analysis — or at least align his vision more closely with them — could bolster Baker’s candidacy.

Photo: Karen Warren, Staff Photographer

Joe Espada

Managerial record: N/A

Major League coaching experience: Miami Marlins third-base coach (2010-13), New York Yankees third-base coach (2015-17), Houston Astros bench coach (2018-present)

Why he would fit: Espada would afford the most seamless transition of any candidate. He’s been with the Astros for two seasons, knows the clubhouse’s disposition better than most and has preexisting relationships with everyone.

What causes concern: Espada came onto the Astros’ coaching staff prior to the 2018 season, one in which Major League Baseball determined the team electronically stole signs. How much Espada knew of the wrongdoing — or whether he even knew at all — is unclear. But Crane preached moving on with a “clean slate,” making it difficult to rationalize promoting Espada.

Photo: Jeffrey McWhorter/Associated Press

Jeff Banister

Managerial record: 325-313

Past managerial stops: Texas Rangers (2015-18)

Why he would fit: Banister’s success can’t be disputed. He won two American League West titles in his first two seasons with the Rangers — the two years that preceded Houston’s illegal sign-stealing ploy. Though hometown allegiance means little in the grand scheme, Banister grew up in LaMarque and is a University of Houston product. Managing the Astros — the first team for which he was a fan — would be something of a dream job.

What causes concern: Banister’s downfall in Arlington was abrupt, due in part to a gruff, hard-nosed personality that began to grate on players. “I should have allowed my ability to smile in tough times and softer eyes for challenging moments,” Banister told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram after he was fired. “That is something I know. I am talking about individually. People do need to see that.”

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Eduardo Pérez

Managerial record: N/A

Major League coaching experience: Miami Marlins hitting coach (2011-12), Houston Astros bench coach (2013)

Why he would fit: After serving one season as Bo Porter’s bench coach, Pérez is at least somewhat familiar with Houston owner Jim Crane. His recent work as an ESPN analyst gives Pérez a working knowledge of how to admirably handle an impending crush of media likely to follow the team throughout the season. Being bilingual is an asset the Astros have always valued, too. Pérez finished as a finalist for the New York Mets managerial job this winter.

What causes concern: Pérez’s philosophy would be a mystery. His only managerial experience comes from a few seasons in Puerto Rico, which obviously can’t compare to the situation he’d inherit in Houston. Only Jose Altuve remains from the 2013 team Pérez was a part of, so his clubhouse familiarity would be limited. Handing this ready-to-win roster to someone with so much unknown could be a serious risk.

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Brad Ausmus

Managerial record: 386-422

Past managerial stops: Detroit Tigers (2014-2017), Los Angeles Angels (2019)

Why he would fit: Ausmus has familiarity with Astros ace Justin Verlander from his time in Detroit. Because he managed in the division last year, Ausmus should have a decent grasp on most of the returning Houston team, too. Though his tenure was forgettable, Ausmus embraced analytics during his one season with the Angels. Presumably, Ausmus would carry that over with a more loaded roster in Houston.

What causes concern: That Ausmus has been fired from two managerial jobs in three years does not inspire much confidence. He inherited a loaded Detroit Tigers team in 2014 and did not win a playoff game. He had the 2019 American League MVP and won 72 times. Placing of the shortcomings on Ausmus’ shoulders is disingenuous. But, Ausmus’ association with the Tyler Skaggs tragedy and subsequent investigation will present a problem. Fair or not, Ausmus’ reputation with Astros fans took a hit last season, too, for how the Angels handled retaliation against Jake Marisnick.