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Top 50 Houston Astros

The Houston Astros debuted in 1962 but not as the Astros, but as the Houston Colt .45’s.  The Colt .45’s were short-lived as with the advent of the space program in Houston and the first domed stadium, in 1965, the Houston Astros were officially born.  

The Astros may not have been the most successful on the field, but the dome (rather domes) and color schemes they used on their uniforms have made them a recognizable team throughout their existence.

Houston would win the National League Pennant in 2005 but would lose to the Chicago White Sox.  They moved to the American League in 2014 and became a power, finally winning it all in 2017.  They returned to the World Series in 2019 and 2021 but lost to the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves repsectively.

Note: Baseball lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.

This list is up to the end of the 2023 Season.
Twice an All-Star as an Astro, Dave Smith was Houston’s closer for years, saving 20 games in six consecutive seasons.   He would record six seasons with a WHIP under 1.100 and would finish on the top five in Saves three times.
The Venezuelan Outfielder, Richard Hidalgo, had his best years in Major League Baseball playing for the Houston Astros.  Hidalgo had a major season in 2000 when he smacked 46 Home Runs with a Slash Line of .314/.391/.636, but knee injuries prevented him from getting anywhere near that again.
Ken Caminiti would become a National League MVP with the San Diego Padres but it was a member of the Houston Astros where he would make the first of his three All Star Games.  Caminiti was not putting up his best career power numbers in Houston (though still had 103), but he was actually at his best defensively playing for the Astros.
A two-time All-Star with the Houston Astros, Hunter Pence displayed some serious offensive acumen with three seasons if 160 Hits and 25 Home Runs.  Pence would become atwo-timee World Series Champion with the San Francisco Giants, but the truth is that his best campaigns took place in Houston.
A very quick player, Steve Finley would lead the National League in Triples in 1992.  It was with the Astros that Finley would post his best Stolen Base numbers and had two consecutive seasons where he accumulated 170 Hits.  Over his four years in Houston, he would have a Defensive bWAR of 5.0, a number that was actually better than he accrued for other teams this despite winning his six Gold Gloves elsewhere.  Finley would have 595 Hits with 110 Stolen Bases in Houston.
Known for being one of the more prolific Pinch Hitters of all-time, Denny Walling was a Houston Astro for 13 of his 18 seasons and was predominantly used against right handed pitchers.  Walling was especially effective with his bat in the cavernous Astrodome and the fact that he was capable of playing multiple defensive positions made him an asset for Houston.  He would have 726 Hits for the club.
Bouncing back and forth as a starter and reliever during his six seasons (over two runs) as an Astro, Danny Darwin fittingly won the ERA and WHIP title in a season (1990) where he split duties doing both.  Darwin would have a record of 47 and 35 as a Houston Astro.
Mike Cuellar would become a World Series Champion and a Cy Young winner with the Baltimore Orioles, but he first turned heads when he was a Houston Astro.  Cuellar would go his first All-Star Game as an Astro in 1967, a season where he went 16 and 11.  Overall, in the four seasons he was in Houston (1965-68), he went 37-36 with 557 Strikeouts.
Michael Bourn would play for the Houston Astros for three and a half seasons and in each of those complete seasons, he was the National League Stolen Base Champion.  Bourn would use that speed for his defensive skills and was also a two time Gold Glove winner.  Bourn would swipe 193 Bases for Houston with 552 Hits.
After a decade with the Cleveland Indians, Michael Brantley signed with the Houston Astros as a Free Agent in 2019, and as of this writing, has not shown any decline. Brantley went to his fourth All-Star Game in his debut season with Houston, setting a personal best in Home Runs (22), and batting .311.  In the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, Brantley again batted .300 (an even .300), and he returned to the All-Star Game in 2021, with Brantley again batting over .300 (.311).   Brantley currently has a .310 Batting Average with the Astros with 376 Hits, and he has helped them win…
Known for his very keen batting eye (he is one of the few players in MLB history to record more Walks than Hits in a full season), Morgan Ensberg had a breakout season in 2005, where he was an All-Star, A Silver Slugger and finished 4th in MVP voting.  He never replicated that campaign, however, but did make his mark in Houston with 551 Hits with 105 Home Runs.
A two time All Star, Bob Knepper would have four seasons with Houston where he had 14 or more Wins.  Knepper would have a losing record as an Astro (93-100), but still with only 7 shy of the 100 mark in Wins and 54 shy of 1,000 Strikeouts, these are two solid milestones he almost made.