Though the Houston Astros’ recent success has been marred by controversy, their record speaks for itself: two World Series titles, four Fall Classic appearances and an eight-year stretch of consecutive postseason berths, all in a span of 12 years.
Add that to a rich history with the Killer Bs and the Astrodome, and Houston suddenly has one of the more interesting all-time lineups in baseball.
Manager: AJ Hinch
It might not seem like AJ Hinch was Houston’s manager for very long, but that’s a matter of perspective: just one manager — Bill Virdon — has stuck around the Astros for longer than Hinch’s five years, and he’s also the only one with more career wins. Hinch, though, has the 2017 World Series and 2019 pennant to his credit, and is second in wins (481) with 40 additional postseason victories to Virdon’s 10. Hinch’s .594 regular season winning percentage is also best in Houston history, just ahead of his replacement — and fellow World Series champion — Dusty Baker’s .586 showing.
(Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Starting pitcher: Roy Oswalt
Roy Oswalt never won a Cy Young, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. He finished in the top five on five separate occasions while with the Astros, and in 2006 even led the NL in ERA (2.98) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.4), but it wasn’t enough to leapfrog Brandon Webb’s monster campaign. And in 2007, when he did surpass the competition and led the majors in pitcher wins above replacement, he somehow received zero Cy Young votes. If not for injuries, Oswalt would be a Hall of Famer: as is, he still dominates Houston’s all-time leaderboards.
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Reliever/closer: Billy Wagner
There are 86 pitchers in Cooperstown. Of those, nine were relievers. Billy Wagner is one of the nine. Standing 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, you’d never have known as much if you just looked at the stats. When Wagner struck out 14.4 batters per nine in 1997 as a 25-year-old, the league average rate was 6.7 — the next two seasons, Wagner struck out hitters at an even higher rate. Wagner could still sling it late in his career, too: at 38, with the Braves, he punched out 13.5 per nine with a 1.43 ERA in 71 games.
(MIKE FIALA/AFP via Getty Images)
Catcher: Brad Ausmus
Brad Ausmus becoming a manager after his playing career was one of those things that seemed inevitable: he was a tremendous defensive catcher with a mind for pitch calling, and for way more seasons than it did not, that helped to carry his bat. Ausmus would make multiple stops with the Astros, stopping in between 1997-1998 and then again from 2001 through 2008. While his bat hovered around average for backstops in his best years with Houston, his work behind the plate kept him employed year after year. Given the quality of the pitching staff, that checks out.
(Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
1B: Jeff Bagwell
The 1994 strike interrupted many things, but one of them was what could have ended up as one of the all-time great offensive seasons. Bagwell, who won that year’s NL MVP, hit .368/.451/.750 with 39 home runs. That slugging percentage led both leagues, and ranks 11th all-time among MLB players: the list is basically various Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth seasons, then Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Mark McGwire’s 1998, and Bagwell. He’d hit 449 homers in his career, despite significant shoulder injuries and arthritis that plagued his mid-30s, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
2B: Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio was a catcher and outfielder, but second base is where he was at his best. He played for 20 years, all with the Astros, and compiled 3,060 hits — the most in Astros’ history — to go with 1,160 walks and 414 steals. Biggio’s 291 home runs put him third, behind Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman, while he’s first in doubles (668) and total bases (4,711). While underrated in his career for years, Biggio stuck around long enough to see that change, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017 alongside longtime teammate Bagwell.
(STEPHEN DUNN/ALLSPORT via Getty Images)
3B: Alex Bregman
Alex Bregman was selected second-overall by the Astros in the 2015 draft; in 2016, he debuted in the majors and put up a 2-win season in just 49 games. He spent nine years with the Astros, including both of their World Series-winning seasons of 2017 and 2022, in which he hit a combined three home runs (and 19 total in the postseason). He left as a free agent after the 2024 season, but not before mashing 191 home runs and 265 doubles while hitting .272/.366/.483, with nearly 40 wins above replacement. Bregman is still just 31, too.
(Photo by Jack Gorman/Getty Images)
SS: Carlos Correa
The Astros picked Carlos Correa with the first-overall selection in the 2012 draft, when he was all of 17 years old. He’d debut three years later as a 20-year-old who looked like nothing quite so young: Correa won the AL Rookie of the Year in just 99 games, as he slugged .512 and had 45 extra-base hits, including 22 home runs, all while playing excellent defense at shortstop. Correa never got that much better than that, but he didn’t have to: seven years of being that dude — and the 2017 championship — was enough to be the Astros’ all-time shortstop.
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
OF: Lance Berkman
Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Derek Bell made up the “Killer Bs”, but the grouping didn’t truly hit its stride until Bell — who was fine, but no Bagwell nor Biggio by any means — was swapped out for Lance Berkman. As Biggio and Bagwell began to show their age in ways big and small, Berkman stepped in and mashed. He followed up a rookie season where he slugged .561 by crushing 84 extra-base hits, made five All-Star teams, and received MVP votes in six seasons. He’s first among Astros in on-base percentage (.410), fourth in offensive WAR and second in homers.
(Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
OF: Jose Cruz
Jose Cruz — father of Jose Cruz Jr. — joined the Astros in 1975, and stuck there for 13 years. He made multiple All-Star teams, won a pair of Silver Sluggers, and received MVP votes in five of those 13 seasons, all in his 30s. They were the best years of his career, too: Cruz was solid with the Cardinals in his 20s, but something unlocked in Houston, and he went on to end up fourth in wins above replacement among position players, behind only Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Jose Altuve. That’s some company to keep.
(Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)
OF: Cesar Cedeno
Cesar Cedeno wasn’t with Houston from the beginning of their time in MLB, but it still took 10 seasons before he made the postseason for the first time — which was also the organization’s first time. In 1980, the Astros won the NL West, and Cedeno played a significant role in that. He hit .309/.389/.465 with 50 extra-base hits in 137 games, racking up a five-win season despite not even playing all of it. Cedeno wrapped his Astros’ career hitting .289/.351/.454, and was, at the time, their top-ranked player by WAR. He’s still fifth 44 years later.
DH: Jose Altuve
Jose Altuve has been an excellent second baseman, but the Astros had a Hall of Fame one who debuted two years before Altuve was even born. He’s been a more than worthy successor to Craig Biggio, however: Altuve has won three batting titles, including two where he led the majors in batting average, was named AL MVP in 2017 when the Astros finally won a World Series on the strength of a .346/.410/.547 season with an AL-leading 204 hits — his fourth-consecutive year leading in the stat. And now he sits second in hits among Astros, behind only Biggio.
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
Honorable Mentions:
- Dallas Keuchel (starting pitcher)
- Nolan Ryan (starting pitcher)
- Larry Dierker (starting pitcher)
- Dave Smith (reliever/closer)
- Alan Ashby (catcher)
- Bob Watson (1B)
- Jose Altuve (2B)
- Ken Caminiti (3B)
- George Springer (OF)
- Hunter Pence (OF)
- Terry Puhl (OF)
- Jimmy Wynn (OF)
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