Astros manager A.J. Hinch on reported Stanford interest: "a non-story"

Recommended Video:

SEATTLE --- In response to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday that he was atop Stanford University's wish list to become their next head baseball coach, Astros manager A.J. Hinch called it "a non-story."

The 42-year-old Hinch has deep ties to Stanford, where he was twice the Pac-10 player of the year and from where he graduated in 1996 with a degree in psychology. His former coach, Mark Marquess, is retiring at the end of this season, his 41st at Stanford. The school has yet to name a successor.

Hinch was asked about the report before the Astros' game Tuesday night against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.

"Stanford's always meant a lot to me," he said. "It's a big part of my past. I have a lot of respect for Coach Marquess. He's like a second father to me. I love the university. That being said, the Astros have provided me a job of a lifetime to manage in the big leagues and especially an exciting team like we have. It takes up all of my energy. It takes up all of my focus.

"I want to be the Astros manager here for a really long time, and while it's flattering when your name gets bantered around at a place that's very special, it's really a non-story."

It would be stunning to see an MLB manager leave for a college job regardless of how deep the person's ties are to the school. The San Francisco Chronicle quoted an anonymous source as saying major Stanford donor John Arrillaga would "break the bank" to hire Hinch. Asked on Tuesday if Arrillaga or anyone from Stanford had reached out to him about the job, Hinch said they had not.

"I mean, I'm around the campus a lot in the offseason as a donor and as an alum with my history there, but like I said it's a non-story," he said.