· The Astros were established as an expansion team in 1962 as the Colt 45’s.
· They became the Astros three years later and got their name from the space age capital being based in Houston. They also had to deal with trademark battles with the Colt Firearms Company.
· They played in the NL until their move to the AL in 2013.
· They have made the playoffs twelve times with three wild card berths and nine divisional titles.
· They have won two AL Pennants, one NL Pennant and one World Series Championship in 2017.
Batting Lineup:
1. 2B Craig Biggio
2. CF Cesar Cedeno
3. 1B Jeff Bagwell
4. DH Lance Berkman
5. 3B Ken Caminiti
6. RF Jimmy Wynn
7. LF Jose Cruz Sr.
8. C Brad Ausmus
9. SS Dickie Thon
Starting Rotation:
1. Nolan Ryan
2. Roy Oswalt
3. Joe Niekro
4. Mike Scott
5. Mike Hampton
Bullpen:
1. Closer: Brad Lidge
2. Billy Wagner
4. Dave Smith
Bench:
OF-Carlos Lee
OF-Moises Alou
INF-Joe Morgan
INF-Phil Garner
Coaching Staff:
Manager-Bill Virdon
Bill Virdon managed the Astros for eight seasons where he finished with the most wins with 544. He guided them to two third places finishes, fell one game short of the division title but the following two seasons he guided them to the playoffs both times. He also won Manager of the Year once.
Bench Coach-AJ Hinch
AJ Hinch managed the Astros for five seasons where he finished with the second most wins with 481. He guided them to the playoffs four times, two AL pennants and one World Series Championship in 2017.
1B Coach-Art Howe
Art Howe managed the Astros for five seasons where he finished with the fourth the most wins with 392. He guided them to a winning record in the first season, had some losing seasons mixed in one winning season before being fired. He also played seven seasons for them all over the infield.
3B Coach-Harry Walker
Harry Walker managed the Astros for five seasons where he finished with the fifth most wins with 355. He was their hitting coach first, contended for the division title in season two but fell short and was fired for two seasons of 79 win finishes in favor of Hall of Fame manager Leo Durocher.
Hitting Coach-Bob Lillis
Bob Lillis managed the Astros for four seasons where he finished with the seventh most wins with 276. He started off in the scouting and player development department before working as a coach under three manager’s staffs. He never got them over second place and also played six seasons for them all over the infield.
Pitching Coach-Larry Dierker
Larry Dierker managed the Astros for five seasons where he finished with the third most wins with 435. He guided them to four divisional titles, won Manager of the Year once, is in the Astros Hall of Fame and they retired his number 49. He was a two time All-Star starter for them during his twelve year career. He also worked as color commentator for a few seasons for them.
Bullpen Coach-Hal Lanier
Hal Lanier managed the Astros for three seasons where he finished with the eight most wins with 254. He won Manager of the Year once due to him leading the team to its first division title since 1980 and their best record in team history back then.
There have been eleven Hall of Fame players who have played for them at different points in their respective careers. They have retired nine numbers for players.
Jeff Bagwell spent fifteen seasons in the infield for the Astros as their greatest/longest tenured first basemen where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 2017, is in the Astros Hall of Fame and they retired his number 5. He made all four of his All-Star appearances, won all three of his silver sluggers, won his only glove, led the NL in RBIs once, won NL Rookie of the Year, was the only first baseman with 400 home runs-200 stolen bases, is only the first basemen to have multiple 30-30 seasons, has a MLB record for most walks in a game, has MLB record for most doubles in a game, hit for the cycle, and won the 1994 NL MVP while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Astros history like having the highest offensive WAR for position players, most home runs, RBIs, walks, second most extra base hits, doubles, total bases, hits, runs scored, plate appearances, at bats, games played, on base percentage and second highest offensive WAR to name some.
Craig Biggio spent twenty years all over the diamond at catcher, second base or the outfield for the Astros as their greatest/longest tenured second basemen where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 2015, is in the Astros Hall of Fame and they retired his number 7. He made all seven of his All-Star appearances, won all four of his gold gloves, won all five of his silver sluggers, led the NL in hit by pitches five times, led the NL in doubles three times, led the NL in runs scored, has an NL record for leadoff home runs, hit for the cycle, is the only player to make an All-Star appearance at both catcher & second base, has most doubles by a right handed hitter in MLB history, won the Roberto Clemente Award and led the NL in stolen bases once while there. He works as a special assistant for the GM. He also finished as the franchise leader for many offensive categories in Astros history like having the most games played, at bats, plate appearances, runs scored, hits, total bases, doubles, singles, extra base hits and highest offensive WAR.
Nolan Ryan pitched eight seasons for the Astros where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1999, is in the Astros Hall of Fame and they retired his number 34. He made two of his eight All-Star appearances, led the NL in ERA twice, led the majors in strikeouts twice while there, has the most strikeouts, no-hitters in MLB history and is one of twenty nine players to have appeared in four decades. He spent six seasons as an executive advisor for them. He also finished in the top 10 for many pitching categories in Astros history like having the most strikeouts, fourth most games started, innings pitched and fourth highest WAR for pitchers to name some.
Joe Morgan spent nine seasons in the infield for the Astros as their second greatest/second longest tenured second basemen where he put up numbers that speak for themselves that got him elected into the Hall of Fame in 1990 and is in the Astros Hall of Fame. He made two of his ten All-Star appearances while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Astros history like having the second most triples, fifth most stolen bases, sixth most walks and seventh highest on base percentage to name some.
Lance Berkman spent eleven seasons in the outfield or at first base for the Astros where he made five of his six All-Star appearances, led the NL in RBIs once, led the NL in doubles twice, is the second switch hitter to hit 40 or more home runs in a season multiple times and has NL record for most single season RBIs for a switch hitter while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Astros history like having the highest on base percentage, second highest slugging percentage, second most home runs, third highest offensive WAR, third most runs scored, total bases, doubles, RBIs, walks and extra base hits to name some.
Jimmy Wynn spent eleven seasons in the outfield for the Astros where he one of his three All-Star appearances while there and worked as an analyst for them. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Astros history like having the fourth the most walks, home runs, fifth highest offensive WAR, sixth highest WAR for position players, sixth most at bats, runs scored and
plate appearances to name some.
plate appearances to name some.
Cesar Cedeno spent twelve seasons in the outfield for the Astros where he made all four of his All-Star appearances, led the majors in doubles twice, second player to have a 20 home runs-50 stolen bases in a season which he did three times and won all five of his gold gloves while there. He worked as minor league hitting coach for them. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Astros history like having the most stolen bases, fourth most extra base hits, doubles, hits, runs scored, at bats, fourth highest offensive WAR and fourth highest WAR for position players to name some.
Jose Cruz spent thirteen seasons in the outfield for the Astros as their greatest/longest tenured left fielder where he made both of his All-Star appearances, won both of his silver sluggers while there, is in the Astros Hall of Fame and they retired his number 25. He also spent thirteen seasons as their first base coach before becoming a special assistant to the team. He also finished in the top 10 for many offensive categories in Astros history like having the most triples, second most singles, third highest WAR for position players, third most games played, at bats, plate appearances, hits and stolen base to name some.
Brad Ausmus spent tens seasons behind the plate for the Astros as their greatest catcher where he won all three of his gold gloves while there, he is one of eight catchers in MLB history to have at least 1500 hits-100 stolen bases, led the NL in fielding percentage four times while there and has third most putouts for catchers in MLB history. He also finished with the second highest defensive WAR and ninth most games played in Astros history.
Kevin Caminiti spent ten seasons in the infield for the Astros as their greatest/longest tenured third basemen where he made one of his three All-Star appearances while there. He also finished with the seventh highest defensive WAR, ninth most RBIs and tenth most doubles in Astros history.
Dickie Thon spent seven seasons in the infield for the Astros as their greatest shortstop where he made his only All-Star appearance and won his only silver slugger while there. He also finished with the sixth highest defensive WAR in Astros history.
Roy Oswalt pitched ten seasons for the Astros where he made all three of his All-Star appearances, led the NL in wins once, led the NL in ERA once, pitched a combined no-hitter and won the 2005 NLCS MVP while there. He also finished in the top 10 for many pitching categories in Astros history like having the highest WAR for pitchers, second most wins, strikeouts, third most games started, innings pitched and third best win-loss percentage to name some.
Joe Niekro pitched eleven seasons for the Astros where he his only All-Star appearance, led the NL in wins, was the first Astros pitcher to win 20-games in consecutive seasons while there and is in the Astros Hall of Fame. He also finished in the top 10 for many pitching categories in Astros history like having the most wins, second most games started, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched and fourth most games played to name some.
Mike Scott pitched nine seasons for the Astros where he made all three of his All-Star appearances, led the NL in wins once, led the majors in ERA once, led the majors in strikeouts once, won one NL CY Young Award, pitched a no-hitter, won the 1986 NLCS MVP while there, is in the Astros Hall of Fame and they retired his number 33. He also finished in the top 10 for many pithing categories in Astros history like having the second most shutouts, fourth most wins, fifth most strikeouts, complete games and fifth highest WAR for pitchers to name some.
Mike Hampton pitched seven seasons for the Astros where he made one of his two All-Star appearances, won one of his five silver sluggers, led the NL in wins once while there and is the only pitcher with the most silver sluggers with five. He also has the eight best win-loss percentage in Astros history. Other notable starters in Astros history have been Bob Knepper, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite, Wandy Rodriguez, Shane Reynolds, Don Wilson, Danny Darwin, Mark Portugal, Darryl Kile, Doug Drabek, Pete Harnisch, JR Richard, Jerry Reuss, Ken Forsch, Mike Cuellar, Dave Giusti and one of their greatest managers Larry Dierker.
Carlos Lee spent seven seasons in the outfield for the Astros where he made one of his three All-Star appearances and won one of his two silver sluggers while there. He also finished with ninth highest slugging percentage in Astros history.
Moises Alou spent four seasons in the outfield for the Astros where he made two of his six All-Star appearances and won one of his two silver sluggers while there. He also finished with the highest batting average, slugging percentage and third highest on base percentage in Astros history. Other notable outfielders in Astros history have been Terry Puhl, Carl Everett, Michael Bourn, Richard Hidalgo, Billy Hatcher, Steve Finley, Luis Gonzalez and Hunter Pence who is active.
Phil Garner spent seven seasons in the infield for the Astros where he made one of his three All-Star appearances while here and he managed them for four seasons where he guided them to two playoff appearances with one being their only NL Pennant. Other notable infielders in Astros history have been Rusty Staub, Chris Carter, Glenn Davis, Ray Knight, Bob Watson, Lee May, Tommy Helms, Bill Doran, Kazuo Matsui, Doug Rader, Morgan Ensberg, Craig Reynolds, Adam Everett, Julio Lugo, Geoff Blum and Miguel Tejada.
Alan Ashby spent eleven seasons behind the plate for the Astros as their longest tenured catcher where he caught two no-hitters, was the first Astro to hit two home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game and led the NL catchers in fielding percentage once while there. He also was a minor league manager, a bullpen coach and did color commentating for them. Other notable catchers in Astros history have been Cliff Johnson, Johnny Edwards, Jason Castro who is active and Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez.
Brad Lidge was the Astros closer for five years where he made one of his two All-Star appearances, set an NL record for relievers with strikeouts in a season and pitched a combined no-hitter while there. He also finished with the third most saves, fourth most games finished and sixth most games played in Astros history.
Billy Wagner was the Astros closer for nine seasons where he made three of his seven All-Star appearances, won NL reliever of the year award and pitched a combined no-hitter while there. He also finished with most saves, second most games finished, most games played and third lowest ERA in Astros history.
Fred Gladding was the Astros closer for six seasons where he led the NL in saves once while there. He also finished with the fourth most saves and sixth most games finished in Astros history.
Dave Smith was the Astros closer for eleven seasons where he made both of his All-Star appearances while there. He also finished with most games finished, games played, second most saves and third lowest ERA in Astros history.
Jose Valverde was the Astros closer for two seasons where he led the NL in saves once while there. He also finished with sixth most saves and tenth most games finished in Astros history.
Octavio Dotel was the Astros closer for five seasons where he pitched a combined no-hitter, was the first NL pitcher to start 15 games-have 15 saves in a season and led NL relievers in strikeouts once while there. Other notable relievers in Astros history have been Chad Qualls, Jim Ray, Joaquin Andujar, Joe Sambito, Doug Jones and Todd Jones.
