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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mike Scott was the National League Cy Young Award winner in 1986 and this was in a season where he led the National League in ERA, FIP, WHIP, H9, SO9, Strikeouts, and SO/W.  While that was Scott’s best season, he still had a lot left as he finished 7th and 2nd in Cy Young voting in years after.  The three-time All-Star was the main reason the Astros made the playoffs in 1986, and he was named the NLCS MVP in the series that they lost, though Scott went the distance in both games, winning both and allowing only one run in the process.  If only he had a bit of help!

Scott's number 33 was retired by the Astros in 1992, and in 2019, he entered the team's Hall of Fame in the first-ever class.

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.

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.

There was a time when the baseball world was transfixed on the flamethrowing ability of Astros hurler, J.R. Richard, and why not?  He threw faster than anybody else, he fanned piles of batters and he was a young black pitcher in a time when there were not that many.  Richard was only an All-Star once, but he is a two-time strikeouts champion, a two-time leader in FIP and finished in the top ten in Cy Young voting three times.

It is very difficult to think of baseball in the state of Texas, without the name Nolan Ryan entering the conversation.  The ageless flamethrower was born in Texas but did not play pro in his state until he was 33, and joined the Astros.

Ryan arrived as a Free Agent for the 1980 season and would stay in Houston for nine seasons.  Ryan would win the Strikeout title twice as an Astro (low for him), and was a two time All Star and would twice finish in the top five in Cy Young voting.  He would leave Houston, for the Texas Rangers after 1988, and with the Astros, he had 1,866 Strikeouts and a 106-94 record.  The Astros retired Ryan's #34 in 1996, and inducted him into their first Hall of Fame Class in 2019.

The Houston Astros would become one of the elite teams in Major League Baseball in the 2010s and the biggest reason was because of the small in stature yet hug in talent, Jose Altuve.

Altuve would become an All-Star in 2012 and secured himself as a bona fide hitting machine.  After an "off-season" in 2013, he was an All-Star again in 2014 and went on an incredible hitting tear where he not only exceeded the 200 Hit mark but would lead the American League in that statistic.  Altuve would win the Batting Title three times in that time frame and more importantly in 2017 he would win the MVP and lead the Astros to the World Series Title.  

He slumped after 2017, though was still a very good player, but he had a renaisance in 2022, where not only was he an All-Star, he was fifth in MVP voting, added a sixth Silver Slugger, and was named to the All-MLB 1 Team.  More importantly he was the heart of the squad that on the World Series, the second for both the Astros and Altuve.

Altuve is still with Houston a of this writing and could become the greatest Astro ever if he continues at this pace.

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.

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.

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.

While we have been open (often) about how Jeff Bagwell should have gotten into the Baseball Hall of Fame at the very least by his second year of eligibility, He at least earns this honor by being selected as the greatest Houston Astro of all-time.

From the Dominican Republic, Cesar Cedeno was signed as an Amateur Free Agent in 1967, and he made the Astros roster in 1970, finishing fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. He built on that, leading the NL in Doubles, which he did again in 1972, but that was a special year.

That season, Cesar Cedeno would become the second player in MLB history to hit 20 Home Runs and accumulate 50 Stolen Bases in a season, a feat he would duplicate in the next two years.  The flashy Dominican was known for his aggressive defense and on the base paths, which resulted in four Gold Gloves and six consecutive seasons swiping 50 bases.  The four-time All-Star finished in the top five in Offensive bWAR on four occasions.

Cedeno was shipped to Cincinnati in 1982, and he left the Astros with 1,659 Hits, 163 Home Runs, and 487 Stolen Bases.  In 2020, the Astros inducted Cedeno into their Hall of Fame.

The third member of the famed Houston Astros “Killer B’s”, Lance Berkman had a decade of success in the state of Texas where he would finish five times in the Top Ten in National League Most Valuable Player voting. 

Berkman debuted in 1999, and he went to his first All-Star Game in 2001, where he was entrenched as Houston’s third star behind Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio.  He had five 30 plus Home Run Seasons, and another five where he had over 100 RBIs as an Astro.  He hit for average, with four years going over .300, and had a Slash Line of .296/.410/.549 with the team.

His time with Houston ended when the fading Astros dealt him to the New Year Yankees, and he signed that off-season with the St. Louis Cardinals, and would win the World Series there in 2011.

Berkman would sign a one-day contract in 2013, so that he could retire as an Astro.  With Houston, he collected 1,648 Hits, with 326 Home Runs, and 1,090 RBIs.  The team inducted Berkman into their Hall of Fame in 2020.

Like his “Killer B” teammate, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio spent his entire career as a member of the Houston Astros.  

Receiving a new wave of respect due to the sabremetric wave, Jim Wynn was nicknamed the “Toy Cannon” for generating power numbers despite a 5’ 8’’ frame.  Wynn often had an On Base Percentage well over 100 points over his Batting Average and led the National League in Walks in 1969.  Power, speed and a healthy OBP made Wynn a true threat at the plate and he is finally getting a lot of his due now.

Wynn played the first eleven seasons of his career in the Lone Star State, and he amassed 1,291 Hits and 223 Home Runs for the Astros.  The Astros gave him the ultimate honor in 2005 when they retired his number in 24, and they also induced Wynn into their Hall of Fame in 2019.

A great hitter who hit .300 or above for the Astros six times, Jose Cruz finished in the top ten in MVP voting three times.  Cruz, a two-time All-Star, would lead the NL in Hits in 1983 and was close to the 2,000 Hit mark with the Astros.  Cruz would also exceed the 30 Stolen Base mark five times.