Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  As such, we are delighted to present our pre-2026 revision of our top 50 Houston Astros.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Duration and Impact.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the Major League Baseball.

3.  Advanced Statistics.

4.  Playoff performance.

5. Their respective legacy on the team.

6. How successful the team was when he was there.

7. Respecting the era in which they played.

Criteria 1-4 will make up the lion’s share of the algorithm.  Please note that we have implemented this for the first time.  This has changed the rankings all throughout the board.

Last year, the Astros won 87 games, but it was not enough to make the playoffs.  Nevertheless, there was movement within our Top 50, and one new entrant.

As always, we present our top five, which differs from last year's, due to the new algorithm.

1. Jeff Bagwell
2. Craig Biggio
3. Jose Altuve
4. Lance Berkman
5. Cesar Cedeno

You can find the entire list here.

A couple of notes within the top five.  Jose Altuve was ranked#3 last year and remains at that spot.  Lance Berkman and Cesar Cedeno swapped spots.

Designated Hitter Yordan Alvarez went up to spots to #17.

Pitcher Framber Valdez, who is now with the Detroit Tigers, advanced one spot to #30.

The new entrant was Shortstop Jeremy Pena, who was an All-Star last year.  He debuts at #36.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we have existing Top 50 lists and consistently look to update them when necessary and based on necessity. As such, we are delighted to present our post-2024 revision of our top 50 Houston Astros.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the American League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Please note that our algorithm has changed, which yielded minor changes throughout the baseball lists.

Last year, the Astros expectedly returned to the postseason but were dismissed in two games in the Wildcard by the Houston Astros.  There was one new entry and three significant elevations.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes.

1. Jeff Bagwell

2. Craig Biggio

3. Jose Altuve

4. Lance Berkman

5. Cesar Cedeno 

You can find the entire list here. 

Of note, Jose Altuve remained at #3, and as good as he has been still has some work to do to surpass Hall of Fame inductee, Craig Biggio for #2.

The elevations were Alex Bregman (#11 to #8), Yordan Alvarez (#27 to #19) and Kyle Tucker (#33 to #23). 

The new entrant is Framber Valdez, who debuts at #31.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Framber Valdez joined the Houston organization in 2015 as an international free agent, a late bloomer who signed at 21, a time when many of his contemporaries were already reaching the upper levels of the minors. Despite the late start and a modest $10,000 signing bonus, he utilized a heavy, high-velocity sinker to power through the system, making his debut in 2018.

After struggling with his command in 2019, he credits a focus on mental fortitude with his 2020 breakout, in which he demonstrated a specialized ability to handle adversity on the mound. He finished 11th in the Cy Young voting during that shortened season.  By 2021, he had officially seized a permanent role at the top of the rotation, providing the high-frequency output and veteran-like poise that helped the Astros return to the World Series.

During the 2022 campaign, he evolved into the most durable southpaw in the American League, recording a record-breaking 25 consecutive quality starts. He demonstrated a specialized ability to keep the ball on the ground, leading the league with 201.1 innings pitched and finishing fifth in the Cy Young voting. Most importantly, he showed the organization that he was a big-game performer, going 3-for-3 in the 2022 postseason, including two dominant wins in the World Series, helping secure the franchise's second championship. He followed this with back-to-back All-Star selections and two more top-ten Cy Young finishes in 2023 and 2024, amassing 200 strikeouts in a season for the first time in his career.

The heart of his final years in Houston was characterized by elite durability, though not without moments of intense internal friction. In September 2025, Valdez was at the center of a controversial "cross-up" incident where he struck his own catcher, César Salazar, in the chest with a 93 mph sinker immediately after surrendering a grand slam. While Valdez apologized and maintained it was accidental, the moment highlighted the "mercurial" side of his competitive drive that occasionally flared up during high-leverage games.

Valdez was a free agent after the season, and Houston did not aggressively pursue him, though he signed with Detroit.  As an Astro, he compiled a 68-45 record, 881 strikeouts, and a 2022 World Series Championship.