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All-Century Roster: Astros
By Gary Brooks
SportsLine Baseball Editor
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With the Astros' strongest run of sustained success coming over the
final portion of the century, most of the team's records and outstanding
feats have come in recent memory. Houston had seven consecutive winning
seasons to end the century, something only the New York Yankees and Atlanta
Braves also did.
 | | | Mike Scott dominated the NL in 1986.(Allsport) | |
The Astros did not have similar playoff fortunes to the Yanks and
Braves, though, as they were eliminated in the National League Division
Series in 1997, '98 and '99.
Before the 1990s, the team didn't have a tandem of players as good as
Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell and each is in the process of re-writing the
Astros record books. Outstanding pitching also highlighted three
consecutive NL Central championships as Mike Hampton, Jose Lima and Shane
Reynolds -- and for two months, Randy Johnson -- gave the Astros one of the
best staffs in the game.
Houston's inability to break through to the game's pinnacle has been a
recurring theme through the team's history. The NLCS in 1980, Division
Series in 1981 and NLCS in 1986 all were promising for Houston but never
could the Astros make the key plays to turn the series and get them to the
World Series.
Similar promise has also ended sadly with individuals in team history. Pitcher
Don Wilson threw no-hitters in 1967 and '69 and had an 18-strikeout game in
1968 and appeared to be the type of pitcher a successful team could be
built around. But Wilson committed suicide before the 1975 season. Another
outstanding arm was just reaching its prime in 1980 when J.R. Richard had a
shocking stroke that ended his career.
Now entering a new century in a new ballpark, it's questionable whether
the promise of the 1997-99 seasons will continue in the 2000s. Though
Bagwell and Biggio remain the core, the Astros traded reliable lefty Mike
Hampton in a move to save money and appear ready to go with a younger group
that might have a harder time extending the streak of consecutive winnings
seasons to eight.
Lineup
| Craig Biggio, C, 1988-99 |
| In his first full season (1989) Biggio was the National League's Silver
Slugger at catcher. In 1990 he became the first catcher ever to lead the
team in batting and in 1991 he became the Astros' first All-Star catcher.
Of course, he's since continued to become one of the best players in team
history after a switch to second base. He's a seven-time All-Star who in
1998 joined Tris Speaker as the only players in history to have seasons
with 50 doubles and 50 steals. He's the Astros career leader in runs
scored, having compiled four of the top five single seasons in team history
including a club record 146 in 1997. He's the only Astro ever with 200 hits
in a season (210 in 1998) and has the second-most hits and steals in team
history. |
| Jeff Bagwell, 1B, 1991-99 |
| No player in team history other than Bagwell has had more than two
consecutive 100-RBI seasons. Bagwell had put together four in a row to end
the century and likely would have been at six straight if not for the
strike and injury-shortened season of 1995 when he drove in 87 in 114
games. He's the franchise's career leader in home runs (263), RBI (961) and
batting (.304). Bagwell was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1991 and unanimous
MVP in 1994 when he led the league with 104 runs and 116 RBI when the
season ended with a lockout on Aug. 11. |
| Joe Morgan, 2B, 1963-71, 80 |
| Morgan was a sure-handed second baseman with a good eye, a bit of power and
good speed who began his Hall of Fame career as a Houston Colt '45. He
played six full seasons in Houston, earning All-Star recognition in 1966,
when he was elected a starter but couldn't play because of a fractured knee
cap, and 1970 when he scored 102 runs and walked 102 times. In 1971, he led
the NL with 11 triples. His 63 career triples are still second best in team
history. Morgan went on to win two MVPs and play in eight All-Star games as
a Cincinnati Red. |
| Craig Reynolds, SS, 1979-89 |
| Reynolds was an All-Star in his first season with the Astros after a trade
with Seattle for pitcher Floyd Bannister. He was the starter for six
seasons providing solid but unspectacular play most of the time. In 1981,
he led the league with 12 triples including a record three in one game. |
| Doug Rader, 3B, 1967-75 |
| Rader was a five-time Gold Glove winner who from 1969-75 had three seasons
with 20 or more homers in the spacious Astrodome and drove in 75 or more
runs five times. He's among the team's career top 10 in hits, doubles,
homers, RBI, extra-base hits and total bases. |
| Jose Cruz, OF, 1975-87 |
| Before Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio came along, the player most identified
with the Astros was left fielder Jose Cruz. He spent 13 productive seasons
in the Astros rainbow of colors, twice being selected to the All-Star team.
He was a central figure in Houston's first three playoff teams. He had
moderate power that was rarely exhibited in the spacious Astrodome but did
have good speed as well. His 1,937 hits, 80 triples, and 2,746 total bases
are still Astros records. |
| Jimmy Wynn, OF, 1963-73 |
| Though just 5-foot-9, Wynn had terrific power. Unfortunately for the
Astros, he didn't have much of a team around him as he set most of the
club's early offensive records with three All-Star seasons in his 11 years.
Wynn's team record of 223 homers was just broken in 1999 by Bagwell. He was
the first Astro to surpass 30 homers when he hit 37 in 1967. |
| Cesar Cedeno, OF, 1970-81 |
| Cedeno had good power and a strong bat but his strength was speed. He stole
50 or more bases in six consecutive seasons from 1972-77 and his 487 steals
are the club record. He also held team career records for doubles and
extra-base hits until they were broken by Biggio and Bagwell in 1999.
Cedeno won five Gold Glove Awards and drew comparisons to Willie Mays from
Leo Durocher. |
Pitchers
| Nolan Ryan, SP, 1980-88 |
| Ryan returned to his home state in 1980 as the first million-dollar player
in history. He won 106 games and set a team record with 1,866 strikeouts
over his nine seasons but had plenty of tough luck. He led the NL with a
career-best 1.69 ERA in the strike-shortened 1981 season but had just 11
wins. He led the league in ERA again in 1987 at 2.76 but got little support
and went 8-16. His 16 wins in 1982 were his Astros high. Ryan hit a
three-run homer in his first game in Houston, pitched his fifth no-hitter
in 1981 and passed Walter Johnson as baseball's strikeout king in 1983. |
| J.R. Richard, SP, 1971-80 |
| In the late 1970s, Richard was gaining recognition as the most overpowering
pitcher in the league. He won 20 games in 1976 and 18 games in 1977, '78
and '79. Twice, he passed 300 strikeouts, including a club-record 313 in
1979. He was 107-71 over 10 seasons, finally earning All-Star status in
1980 when he was 10-4. The 6-8 right-hander struck out 15 in his
major-league debut and was as intimidating as teammate Nolan Ryan. But
after starting the '80 All-Star Game, he complained of a "dead arm." Though
it was dismissed as no problem, Richard had a stroke two weeks later and
his career was done. |
| Joe Niekro, SP, 1975-85 |
| Niekro's 144 wins are the most in team history. Niekro perfected the
knuckleball just like his brother Phil and in 1979 won 21 games and
finished second in Cy Young voting to Cubs closer Bruce Sutter. In 1980 he
won 20 games, leading the team in wins for the second of five times. Niekro
pitched Houston into its first playoff situation by beating the Dodgers in
a one-game playoff for the NL West title in 1980. |
| Mike Scott, SP, 1983-91 |
| When Scott mastered the split-finger fastball, his career turned from
mediocre to magnificent. He won 18 games in 1985 and '86 and 20 games in
1989. His '86 season was truly dominant, with his 10 losses very
misleading. He led the NL with 306 strikeouts, a 2.22 earned-run average
and a .186 opponents batting average. With the Astros able to clinch the NL
West title with a win, he pitched a no-hitter. His late-season heroics
continued in the NLCS as he held the Mets to one run over 18 innings with
19 strikeouts and became the first player from a losing team named MVP of
the LCS. His 110 wins are third most in team history. |
| Larry Dierker, SP, 1964-76 |
| The current Astros manager holds team records for shutouts (25), starts
(320), innings pitched (2,295) and complete games (106). He was the first
Houston pitcher to win 20 games, doing so in 1969 when he earned his first
of two All-Star spots. He is second in career victories with 137. |
| Billy Wagner, SP, 1995-99 |
| Dave Smith is way out front with 199 career saves for Houston but Wagner's
emergence as the most overpowering closer in the game over the final three
seasons of the century gives him the nod. Wagner saved 101 of 121
opportunities and struck out 394 batters over 253 innings. He set a
major-league record in 1998 with 14.55 strikeouts per nine innings then
increased it in 1999 with 14.94 per nine. |
| Bench |
| Ken Caminiti, Bob Watson, Enos Cabell, Glenn Davis, Kevin Bass, Bill
Doran, Jesus Alou, Terry Puhl, Lee May, Steve Finley, Derek Bell, Moises
Alou, Billy Hatcher, Dennis Mencke, Rusty Staub, Roman Mejias, Roger
Metzger, Ray Knight |
| Best season |
 | | | The Big Unit briefly wore Astros colors in 1998.(Allsport) | |
The team that ended the 1998 season was by far the best in
club history. When Randy Johnson was acquired at the July 31 trade deadline
and went 10-1, he joined Shane Reynolds, Jose Lima and Mike Hampton to form
an outstanding pitching staff. The team had its best month ever in August
going 22-7 and went on to win a club-record 102 games. The offense was
outstanding as well. Moises Alou was a huge addition in left field and
finished third in MVP voting behind Maris-breakers Sammy Sosa and Mark
McGwire. Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell had their typically outstanding
seasons and Derek Bell contributed 198 hits. The team broke its previous
record for runs by nearly 100 (874 to 777) and also set records for hits,
homers, steals, doubles and total bases.
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| Worst season |
| The 1975 Astros were on track to cruise past 100 losses when
Preston Gomez was fired with the team 43 games back of Cincinnati at 47-80.
Bill Virdon became the manager and the team went 17-17 to finish the year
with 97 losses. |
| Best individual season, player |
| If the 1994 season had been completed, Jeff
Bagwell's numbers would have been among the best ever. He was hitting .368
with 39 homers, 116 RBI and 104 runs when the lockout struck. His numbers
equate to 171 RBI, 57 homers and 153 runs over a 162-game season. He was on
pace to become the fifth player ever with more than 440 total bases. As it
was, Bagwell was the first National League player since Willie Mays in 1955
to finish first or second in the Triple Crown categories. |
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| Best individual season, pitcher |
| Mike Scott was overpowering in 1986 but in
1999 Mike Hampton was simply a winner. The little left-hander set the club
record for wins with 22 and winning percentage (.846) with just four
losses. He finished second to Arizona's Randy Johnson in Cy Young voting
and had a 2.90 ERA, second in the league. |
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