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. In 2022, they won their second Championship.
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 2024 Season.
Far more than just Phil’s younger brother, Joe Niekro had the best seasons of his twenty-plus year career as a Houston Astro. Niekro would post two consecutive 20 win seasons both of which saw him make the top five in NL Cy Young voting. An All-Star in 1979, Niekro would have 144 wins and 1,178 strikeouts with the Astros. The team would induct Niekro into their franchise Hall of Fame in 2019, the first year of its existence.
Playing 14 of his 15 seasons in baseball with the Astros, Canadian born outfielder, Terry Puhl was an All-Star in his first full season in 1978. Puhl would not repeat an appearance to the mid-season classic, but he would have two more seasons tabulating over 150 hits and would steal 20 or more bases six times. The Canadian would accumulate 1,357 Hits for the Astros.Puhl was chosen for the Astros Hall of Fame in 2022.
A Houston Astro for all nine seasons of his MLB career, Don Wilson was an All-Star once (1971) and hurled a pair of no-hitters. Wilson, who had a winning record, likely would have contributed more to the organization but he died in January of 1975 in his garage with his family with his car still running. His number 40 was retired by the team that spring.He would have a record of 104-92 with 1,238 Strikeouts and was part of the first Astros Hall of Fame Class in 2019.
Bob Watson achieved greater heights as an executive with the New York Yankees, but he was still quite the player who played at his peak with the Houston Astros. A two-time All-Star, Watson would exceed 150 hits six years in a row and had four campaigns where he batted over .300. Watson's defensive skills were not the best, which hurts him on this list, but in the 14 years he played in Houston, he would collect 1,448 Hits, with 139 Home Runs with a .297 Batting Average. The Astros inducted Watson into their Hall of Fame in 2020.
The Fifth Overall Pick in 2015, Kyle Tucker worked his way in three years to the make it to the Astros, but he only batted .141 in his brief stay. 2019 was a little better, batting .269 in 67 At Bats, but the shortened 2020 season was when Tucker was there to stay. In 58 Games in that COVID-plagued year, Tucker led the AL in Triples (6), batted .268 with 9 Home Runs. The Astros made it to the World Series, albeit in a losing effort, but it looked like Tucker was on the verge of a breakout; and he was. The…
A dominating reliever in his day, Billy Wagner would make three of his seven All0Star Games as an Astro, the team he began his career. Wagner would accumulate 225 Saves with 1.039 WHIP and would finish 4th in Cy Young Voting in 1999, which would be the year he won his lone Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year Award.
Shane Reynolds played eleven years for Houston and was a solid starting pitcher for most of it. Known for his control, Reynolds would lead the National League in BB/9 (1.4) in 1999 and would also win the SO/BB (5.32) title. The following season, Reynolds would make his first and only All-Star Game appearance. The hurler had a 103-86 record with 1,309 Strikeouts.
One of the Astros better power hitters, Glenn Davis showcased six consecutive seasons where he cracked over 20 home runs. Davis would have his best season in 1986 where he finished second in NL MVP voting and won the Silver Slugger Award. He would have two other seasons where he finished in the top ten in MVP voting. Davis left the Astros for Baltimore in 1991 via, and he would overall have 166 Home Runs for the Astros.
In 2015, Dallas Keuchel won the Cy Young Award, cementing himself as a certified ace in Major League Baseball who shot up this list astronomically from that 2015 campaign. Keuchel did not repeat that season’s accomplishments with the Astros, but he was an All-Star for the second time in 2017, where he had a 14-5 record and a 2.90 ERA. His run with the Astros ended when he signed with the Atlants Braves as a Free Agent. With Houston, Keuchel would have a 76-63 record with 945 Strikeouts.
Used both as a starter and a reliever during his decade in Houston, Ken Forsch was adept at both roles. As an Astro, Forsch put together a record of 78 and 81 with 50 Saves. He was named an All-Star in 1976 and in 1979 would lead the National League in WHIP.
Roger Clemens was only a Houston Astro for three years, but when he arrived at age 41, he showed everyone that he was far from done yet. Clemens made an immediate statement in 2004 when he went 18 and 4 and become one of only a handful of pitchers to win the Cy Young Award in both leagues. Clemens would finish 3rd in Cy Young voting in his second season winning the ERA and FIP title. His tenure was brief, but his stats were phenomenal. With Houston, "the Rocket" went 38-18 with 505 Strikeouts and a 2.40 ERA.
Framber Valdez signed with the Houston Astros as an International Free Agent in 2015, and three years later he debuted for the club, which seems like the correct progression, but his initial signing at the age of 21 is older than normal than his Dominican counterparts. Valdez needed time to find his confidence, and in the COVID-shortened 2020 year, he went 5-3 and was 11th in Cy Young voting. He continued to grow his game in 2021 (11-6), but truly broke out in 2022, earning his first All-Star, with a 17-6 record, 2.82 ERA and was the league-leader in Innings…
An excellent selection from the Expansion Draft, Turk Farrell was converted to a Starting Pitcher and was an All-Star in his debut season for Houston. Farrell would make two more All-Star appearances, and while he has a losing record as an Astro, it was not like he had a lot of help around him.
Doug Rader was known for his defense and he was a five-time Gold Glove winner at third base. Playing his first nine seasons in Houston, Rader did not always hit for the best batting average or on base percentage, but he did hit over 100 home runs as an Astro and 1,060 Hits.
Mike Hampton might be best known for his overpriced contract with the Colorado Rockies but the Houston Astros, he is known for his Cy Young runner up season in 199 when he went 22 and 4 with a 2.90 ERA. Hampton never had a losing record for the Astros (in his first run anyway) and had a respectable 76 and 50 with Houston.
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.
It is when we have a player like Gerrit Cole on a list like this where we have to exercise our caveat that we place an equal premium on single-season greatness that we do on longevity. This is how Gerrit Cole is ranked this high on a list like this.
An All-Star in 1986, Kevin Bass put together three consecutive offensive seasons (1985-87) of note where he had over 140 Hits, 15 Home Runs, and 15 Stolen Bases. ’86 was of course his best campaign where he batted .311 and finished 7th in National League MVP voting. In the two runs that Bass played in Houston (1982-89) & (1993-94), he would accumulate 990 Hits with a Batting Average of .278.
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.