The list of interviewees in the Astros’ managerial search is impressive.

There is little doubt owner Jim Crane has interviewed a couple of people who would do well with the job. Determining which one will be the best is the reason there isn’t a rush on this process.

The Astros have been without a manager and a general manager for just a week and a half. Even without any games being played, it feels longer.

The Mets broke up with Carlos Beltran three days after Crane fired A.J. Hinch, and they already have his replacement. On Wednesday, the team announced the hiring of Luis Rojas.

The Mets had the advantage of having just conducted interviews during a manager search in October, when they signed Beltran, who in 2017 as a player was a key figure in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.

The Astros had not considered making a change at manager since they spent a month looking for Bo Porter’s replacement in 2014. That search ended with the hiring of Hinch, the franchise’s all-time best, who led the team through the greatest stretch of baseball in team history.

Also complicating the Astros’ search is the person most responsible for the Hinch hire, the man who might have had the best handle on the best replacement for Hinch, is Jeff Luhnow.

Luhnow was terminated the same time as Hinch and for the same reason: failure to shut down the player-driven sign-stealing operation that resulted in a $5 million fine, a loss of draft picks, and MLB suspensions for Luhnow and Hinch.

With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in less than three weeks, a decision needs to be made soon, but Crane is trying to be thorough in what will be among the most important decisions he has made as owner.

Should he hire a smart veteran who has seen it all like Dusty Baker? A Buck Showalter, who knows the game and has managed in the biggest spotlight? An intelligent, personable, rookie whom players can relate to in Eduardo Perez? A sharp insider who already knows all the players and has all the markings of an outstanding manager in Joe Espada?

Even with 100-win talent, the Astros will face a challenge unlike any team ever has. Their season will not be about just balls and strikes, defensive shifts and pitching changes.

The strain of having previous accomplishments questioned at every turn could bring the squad closer together or tear it apart.

One cannot overstate the new manager’s role in determining which direction the year goes.

Crane says he wants to hire someone “that can handle some pressure.”

In many ways, what the Astros’ new manager will face is unprecedented.

’Tis rare that a job opens up on a World Series team or a team that just set a franchise record for wins. This is the first opening created by the manager getting fired because his team used a camera to steal opposing catchers’ signs.

The Astros job will be especially challenging, because the man being replaced was adept at working his players through hard times and ups and downs. With few exceptions — Ken Giles, anyone? — players applaud Hinch for his unwavering support and steady hand during slumps.

Hinch pushed the right buttons more often than not. If anything, he was more likely to err in riding a slumping player too long. Players love that.

Because of the scandal, this year’s slumps, and even this year’s hot streaks, will be different. Baseball is a high-pressure sport anyway, but the scornful eyes on Houston this season will generate an unusual pressure.

It won’t be long before there are professionally conducted polls that show the Astros are among baseball’s most-hated teams. In recent years — frankly, throughout their history — the Astros have never received many votes on such lists.

Just as not every player can thrive when disparagers outnumber supporters, not every manager will excel at leading an “us against the world” fight, which is the situation the Astros will be in for the foreseeable future.

The pointed questions have hardly begun, and they won’t end. The spotlight will be bright and ugly. Road games will be more difficult than they normally are.

While Crane will be more visible as his team works its way through this self-created mess, the new manager will be front and center, leading a championship-level team whose focus will be tested.

Obviously, the Astros’ best approach would be to ignore the noise, but that is virtually impossible for the 2020 generation.

The Astros won’t be able to hide from the haters this season. Losing will make them louder.

Winning won’t even silence them, but at least it would be fun.

Hire the wrong manager, and the Astros will have a long, hot, fun-free summer.

jerome.solomon@chron.com

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