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Who are the top Houston Astros of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Joe Niekro: the winningest pitcher in franchise history (144 wins), Niekro is best-known as the younger brother of Phil, but was an excellent pitcher in his own right – in a decade-plus with the Astors in his prime, he was a workhorse starter with consecutive top-five Cy Young finishes, highlighted by a 1979 season where he led the league in wins (21) and earned his only All-Star selection.
9. Billy Wagner: with a blazing 100 mile-per-hour fastball, Wagner pitched his first nine MLB seasons with the Astros and racked up a franchise-record 225 saves (including five 30-save seasons) for three All-Star selections and a top-five Cy Young showing.
8. Jose Cruz: a fan favorite in Houston for 13 seasons, Cruz was a versatile outfielder who was a 2x All-Star and 2x Silver Slugger, hit .300+ 6x, led the league in hits once, stole 30+ bases 5x, and finished top-10 for MVP 3x.
7. Lance Berkman: a 5x All-Star with the team, Berkman was a consistent middle-of-the-order slugger across nearly a dozen seasons with the Astros, compiling 10 straight 20-home run seasons with six seasons of 100+ runs batted in, 2x leading the league in doubles, and five top-10 MVP finishes.
6. Cesar Cedeno: before his career was derailed by off-the-field issues, Cedeno was one of the game’s brightest talents – in a dozen seasons with the Astros, he earned four All-Star selections, won five straight Gold Gloves, twice led the league in doubles, and had six consecutive seasons of 50+ stolen bases.
5. Nolan Ryan: baseball’s all-time strikeout king, Ryan spent nine seasons with Houston and led the league in strikeouts 2x with two All-Star selections, three top-10 Cy Young finishes, and a pair of ERA titles during that span, resulting in 106 of his 324 career wins, 1,866 of his 5,714 strikeouts, and one of his seven no-hitters.
4. Roy Oswalt: a bulldog on the mound, Oswalt pitched nearly a decade in Houston and posted three consecutive All-Star seasons, a pair of 20-win campaigns, an ERA title, and 143 wins with five top-five Cy Young showings.
3. Jose Altuve: despite his diminutive size, Altuve is an 8x All-Star, 6x Silver Slugger, 3x batting champion, 1x Gold Glover, and 2017 AL MVP who has played his entire career with the Astros and been an integral part of a pair of World Series-winning teams.
2. Craig Biggio: the franchise career record holder in a slew of categories (including games played, at-bats, hits, and runs scored), Biggio spent two decades in Houston and racked up over 3,000 career hits while earning seven All-Star selections, five Silver Sluggers, and four Gold Gloves.
1. Jeff Bagwell: the 1991 NL Rookie of the Year and 1994 NL MVP, Bagwell played his entire 15-year MLB career with Houston and was a 4x All-Star, 3x Silver Slugger, and 1x Gold Glover who holds Astros franchise career records for home runs, runs batted in, and walks.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: This list includes players who played for the Houston Colt .45s.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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