#20 Don Wilson

Successful Astro hurler but also one of baseball’s most mysterious and tragic stories....When he played was consistent at keeping his ERA low and provided some run support an Astro win.....Breezed through the minors starting in 1965 with a strong fastball with movement....realized a full spot in the Astro rotation 1967 and responded with 10 wins and an ERA under 2.80.....added an exclamation to his year with a no hitter against the Braves....1968 brought increased work and decisions albeit yielding a losing record....Don stepped up his win total in 1969 to 16, fortunate for the Stros who jettisoned their two top starters from 1968....Wilson also notched his second no hitter coming a day after Red Jim Mahoney no-no-ed the Astros.....While 1970 was underwhelming at 10 triumphs, 1971 turned in his career year complete bronze medal in NL ERA and 16 conquests.....strong follow up season in 1972....final two years wins were shaved by non supportive Astro bats but his bottom line was still strong.... 6 out of 8 full seasons pitched over 200 innings..... but reached double digits wins for 8 years....all this time was positive and looked forward to the future....was working on adding the breaking ball to his pitching arsenal...In one of his last starts 9/4 going 8 innings without giving up a hit....taken out in the 9th because Astro were trailing 2-1 on an error that surrender two runs.....unexpectedly passed away on Jan 5^th, 1975 at his home as result of carbon monoxide poisoning......who knows what the second half of his career could have produced..... Wilson’s demise is a complex and contradictory assortment of stories that is too complex for the boundaries of this blog....it was ruled accidental and not a suicide.....For more information and opinions....

https://seamheads.com/blog/2010/10/12/the-mysterious-and-tragic-death-of-don-wilson/  

#56 Rich Chiles

Mostly a farmhand....Only true employment occurred after being picked up by the Twins as a Rule 5 draft pick for 1977....two seasons exclusively in Minnesota with almost identical results....BA a tad above .260....released by Twins before 1981.....Considered a standard line drive hitter and not much else....weak arm, mediocre speed.....Made a career in the MLB a reach....platoon player at best which came late in his career....Once Chiles put in his 120 at bats in 1971, he only appeared in 22 MLB games over the next five seasons continuing in Houston, then New York Mets, and return ticket to Houston...had a stint in the Padre farm system  falling short of making the club....after his time as a Twin returned to AAA for a couple of seasons.....turned to being a batting coach at the university and minor league level......owns a .254 career BA based on 157 hits, 37 of which were doubles. 

#65 Cesar Cedeno

Exciting pure potential on the rise, or what could have been...a five tool player who could do it all  inviting comparisons to being the new Willie Mays of the 1970’s....glove, arm. power wrapped around speed .... Biggest cheerleader was colorful and controversial manager Leo Durocher....from his mid season debut in 1970, each year showed growth and got better than the next.....then winter 1973 a fatal shooting with a female companion in the Dominican Republic....exonerated of charges on the basis she had accidently shot herself but Cedeno’s legacy was forever tainted.....Although Cedeno’s made the all star team, set personal high marks for home runs and RBI, and captured his third of five consecutive glove gloves, in 1974 his BA descended 50 points to .269.....subsequent years rolled by Cedeno resurrects his BA to near .300 level....but power and eventually speed both elude him and assign him the  journeyman tag....traded to Reds (best record in 1981) just to find the team in free fall.....solid numbers but lost playing time leading one to believe Astros may have got a better deal in the acquisition of Ray Knight....while age took its toll, briefly found lost youth as a late year pick up by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985 with OPS 1.20+....did poorly in playoff however demonstrating his capacity as a veteran force was fleeting....wrapped up playing as Dodger in 1986....dabbled in Mexican League, the ill fated senior league baseball....found more steady coaching in the low minors....under the radar.....remained a “star” with sheer talent but but never added the prefix “Super”.  

  

#101 Astro Rookie Stars

A mixed bag of careers....starting with Bill Greif…..by this time already gone from the Astros…..and exiled to San Diego….no run support, plus a losing mentality but there was plenty of work to be had…..1972 was a difficult year, 5-16 and ERA at 5.60….the Friars meekly armed with .227 team BA most likely were not going to bail Bill out....Bill toiled in Padre Brown and Yellow....showed inconsistent signs of improvement....1973 Greif lowered his ERA by 2 runs a game and doubled his win total....limited backing lost one more game from year prior...took step back with 4.66 ERA in 1974 losing a career high 19 games....a new tact for the rest of career reassigned to bullpen....mixed results....out of the majors after 1976 season and out of baseball after 1978....known as the "Texas Tiger" from an early career on the field incident....an eccentric given his interest in psychic phenomena  and hypnosis.  

A Fire-baller  J.R. Richard 1980 was riding a dominant wave....sub 2.0 ERA midseason with 10 wins....seemingly HOF bound.....career came to an abrupt end by a stroke shortly after appearing in his first all star game...Debut in 1971 was exemplar vs. Giants KO’ing  15....despite the record tying debut Richard is prone to pedestrian numbers in both call ups and minors....sometimes invincible as evidenced by 4 wins in 4 starts, shutting out the competition in 33 innings....Stayed with Astro all year in 1975....a modest winning record but struggled with control....led league in wild pitches and walks....Put game in high gear in 1976 winning 20....proceeded to rack up 18 wins in next three years....supremacy in any given year was measured by averaging over one strikeout per inning....he was improving each year toping the circuit in ERA and strikeouts in 1979....Did try to come back in the minor but such efforts were futile.... One of the tallest pitchers ever standing at 6’8” giving him superior leverage...had a difficulty with being out of baseball but has bounced back to work in baseball’s community relation....had a TV movie made about the abrupt change in his life.

Ray Busse  obscure SS-3^rdbaseman....ordinary minor stats point to his best case scenario being destined for a deep reserve.....spare MLB work....traded to Cardinals for 1973 and quickly returned back to the Astros.....final line 2 home runs, nine RBIs, and a .148 BA.

#132 Joe Morgan

Recently in the news, having passed away October 2020....HOF career in three acts....First act;  Joe was as a very good Colt .45/Astro second baseman whose output was hampered by injuries, a poor hitter’s park, and questionable managerial relations....how good?  2^nd in ROY 1965, once led NL in walks and once led league in triples....was part of an all first year player starting lineup in late 1963....two time all star but toiled in relative obscurity in Texas....Second act starts in 1972 as Joe is dealt to Reds ...Instant offense!.....elevates himself into superstar status and significant in Cincinnati’s establishment as a perennial NL powerhouse for years to come....First season in Queen City leads NL in runs scored, walks, and OBP....no let up on the accelerator in subsequent years....labeled as the most complete player in baseball according to Sports Illustrated a honor sandwiched between back to back MVP awards in 1975 and 76....coinciding with back to back WS championships for the Queen City....personal area of expertise;  getting on base not only with hits but with walks (led NL 4 times) part of which resulting in top OBP 4 times in 5 years time.....Diminutive of stature defied skeptics with good power collecting 25+ homers several times and went yard 268 times in career....5X gold glove consecutive....named to All Star team eight straight occasions, 10X with the aforementioned time as an Astro.... Fast, second in NL stolen bases seven times...Act 3;  beginnings are debatable;  A slow down began starting in 1978 and 79 caused by injuries would result in a loss of BA and 25-30 contests....Or it starts in 1980 by signing with Astros for one year...no longer the superstar but a contributor bringing veteran influence to a playoff bound squad...moves on to San Francisco on a two year stint....a return to the bay area where he grew up....notably was able to secure silver slugger and comeback player of  the year awards in 1982...most dramatic was his home run on the last game of the 1982 regular season to knock rival Dodgers out of the pennant race....Logged in two more seasons, one with Phillies which reunited him with Pete Rose and Tony Perez plus giving him one last WS experience....hit .263 and twice went yard...Finished in hometown of Oakland in 1984 and accounted for himself with .244 BA at age 40....busy after retiring going into business, broadcast booth, MLB administration, and obtaining a long sought college degree....elected to HOF 1990 on first year eligibility.... only drawback of career was second lower tier post season hitting (.182 BA) although the high number of walks offset some of the futility....signature motion, an arm flap while batting to keep his elbow up.  

#155 Larry Dierker

Astro company man....13 out of 14 seasons under the Astrodome home field*...minimal minor league exposure round about 1964....age 18 at MLB debut in 1968....typical of his Houston peers a majority of whom were pressed into MLB service in first year of pro ball....starting 1965 gained more innings then starts....gained 7 wins that year...10 in 1966 then 6 1967 both could have been much better had not injury struck in the former and military service in the later....hit full bloom in 1969 with 20 wins and Houston reached .500 for the first time....strung along wins 16, 12, and 15 in the following years....injuries came back in 1973 and only able be active for three weeks....was able to get back into rotation next three years taking 11, 14, and 13 victories....threw a no hitter in 1976 his last as a ‘stro player....Finished his pitching arts with handful of unimpressive games for St. Louis....Eventually returned as Astro manager.... suffered a seizure in 1999 and missed 27 games... despite excellent five year run with four 1^st place finishes, Houston brass was soured by his 3-12 playoff record 

#202 Scipio Spinks

Unfulfilled promise and had trouble with enduring a season….but undeniably great name….listed as an Astro on his card but traded to Cards a week into play starting in a walk out delayed 1972….So highly regarded that the Cards parted him and rookie Lance Clemons for an already established 14 game winner Jerry Ruess….Interestingly the Spinks and Clemons appear in a combined 33 MLB games after the trade….Ruess tallied 571 games in a distinguished career reaching the 1990’s…Hard thrower and was holding his own in Cardinal uniform at 5-5 and 2.68 ERA….season abruptly ended after meeting Johnny Bench at the plate…Returned 1973 but comeback fizzled with a 5.45 ERA…two more years in minors were even worse…..named after a Roman general who defeated the Carthaginians in the Punic Wars.

#204 Tommy Helms

A decent player collecting ROY honors….was named to 2 all star teams and gold glove awards….Established himself in the Reds lineup in 1966….took over 3^rd base and hit solid .284 being the league’s top rookie….switched to 2^nd base his sophomore year and continued hitting near his ROY pace for several seasons…..strictly a line drive hitter at one stretch hit 6 home runs over 4 season with the Reds….  batting did decline in1970 and rebounded somewhat in 1971….At the end of the season ,Helms was dispatched to Texas with the Reds looking to gain speed made a blockbuster  trade with Astros….some baseball experts sided that it was more advantageous to Houston who let go of the speedy yet underperforming Joe Morgan….outcome Houston improve slightly while the Reds return to formidable status…..Helms BA remains static and RBI slightly increase….But Morgan accelerates to elite status, a consistent contender for MVP, and eventual HOF honors….Helms continues journeyman work in Houston for four years….tailed off in 1975 his last year as an Astro….was able to hang as a reserve in Pittsburgh and Boston  1976-77.

#217 Roger Metzger

Texan came out of seemingly nowhere to take over the Astro Shortstop position in 1971....acquired from Cubs for Hector Torrez after 1970 season....no votes for ROY but did lead the circuit in triples.....brought speed and a fine glove....hitting was never a strong suit....hit .235 rookie season, then .222 the next....had his career year 1973 leading the NL in triples again, hitting .251 and claimed SS gold glove....put up similar numbers in 1974.....batting slumped thereafter failing to reach .230 for three season....had a short lived career resurrection after being sold to the Giants mid season 1978....hit .260 for remainder of season and .251 the next....Lost the tips of 4 fingers in a chain saw accident in off season....made a brave attempt to comeback in 1980....secured a roster spot but had only 2 hits in 27 at bats....released in August....Became a math teacher after playing.

#249 Harry Walker

Many times a manager has history with the franchise….so goes Harry “the Hat” Walker….Took over Houston Astros managerial duties in mid 1968….Prior to was manager for the Texas League Houston Buffalos in the late ‘50’s….In the interim managed the Pirates to winning seasons but no pennant….as a player Harry was born in a baseball family….his father Dixie Sr. was pitcher in fledging years of the American League….Brother Dixie Jr. played during 30’s and 40’s….Dixie known as an outspoken opponent of Jackie Robinson inclusion to the Dodgers....nevertheless their forte was hitting, the only brothers combo to each win a batting title…..Harry won batting title in 1947 as started slow with St Louis but then caught fire with the Phillies hitting .371 for the rest of the season....As a manager, did well with Pittsburgh but the competition was heavy and failed to win a pennant.....More seriously Walker was at best old school and worst racially discriminatory…Alienated players and was a man behind the changing times of player enpowerment….Don Clendenon, having known Harry from Pittsburgh, refused to report to Houston when Montreal traded him…..Astro did reach .500 for first time in 1969…. Followed by two sub .500 seasons….Strangely fired after being 13 games over .500 in 1972…but given his controversy maybe not….after the pro game developed the infant baseball program at UAB…..passed away in 2006.

#282 Houston Astros

Team  Born as the politically incorrect Colt .45’s complete with smoking gun logo….Circa 1962 Houston and the Mets were made to cut off the intended rival Continental League at the pass….first year 24 wins better than their expansion siblings the Mets….and better than the Cubs too…subsequent years always seem to have a slight edge over the Mets but no major climb upwards ...major event in 1965 moniker Astros took over with the move to Astrodome adjacent to original home and provisional Colt Stadium….reached .500 in 1969 but the Mets surpassed them and everybody by being World Champs….sad to say on the subject; one World Series for 55 years of work, plus team has yet to win a game in the WS….team has fielded strong squads during the1979-1981, most of a 10 year span 1995-2005…and bad one stretch of 100 loses in 2009-11…on losing end of an incredibly close 1980 NLCS playoff…moved to American league in 2011…Two hall of famers that stayed with franchise for the duration…Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell….HOFer who spent 9 seasons Nolan Ryan…HOFer who started and spent 9 years plus adding one more Joe Morgan…other notables Jim Wynn, Lance Berkman the unfortunate J R Richard and tragic and Don Wilson.

#339 Ron Cook

Already done with MLB....obscure, medicore footnote..... Lone Star born and raised playing the only Texas team of the time…1970 started out nice getting in middle relief but gradually lost effectiveness in association with sporatic starts…Lost all 4 games he started in August 1971 ....made one more appearance (in his last game) to finish the season 0-4 with a 4.91 ERA....proceeded to languish in minors briefly for two more seasons....one virture of very short career, Ron is included one team group.

#355 Bob Watson

It took a few years but blossomed into an upper tier hitter in a pitcher’s park....Astro signed , first saw Big League action 1966...most kept in minors, stymied during MLB call ups...too good for AAA though....feasted on PCL pitching hitting .400 in two partial seasons...big break and permanent placement in the majors started in 1970....hit .272 as a part timer....BA raised to .288 1971 with more playing time....started hitting at or near a .300 clip for nine season stretch beginning 1972-1980...notable seasons were 1975 hit .324, 100+ RBI 1976 and 1977, and most unusually scoring baseball’s millionth run on May 4, 1975 in an early MLB publicity promotion...even though Watson may have been one of the slowest players in the league at the time, he beat out speedster Reds Dave Conception by an estimated 8 yards or an estimated second and a half....acquisition via Yankees gave Bob his only taste of post season play 1980-81...made the most of it, hit .371 in 67 at bats....worked in MLB front office after playing.

#360 Dave Roberts

What does a three year fledgling expansion franchise do with the best lefty in the league circa 1971?...trade him off of course....Roberts put together his career year in 1971 with an excellent 2.10 ERA good for second .... was picked 39^th in the expansion draft..... Roberts had come a long way from being a Phi-Pit farmhand by leading the IL in wins 1968 (note top 5 league winners were all on expansion rosters)....got better despite persistent non support by Padres...Case in point his 1971 record 13-17....trade to Houston brought him to an established club...note to Padres there was another Astro second baseman on the market; Joe Morgan...Spent 4 years in Houston with his best output being a 17-8 campaign 1973...After a couple of down years as an Astros, his acquisition by Detroit resulted in 16-17 season in 1976....achievement overshadowed Mark Fidrych’s one seaon wonder year.... stuck around for four more but relegated to the typical retread fill in role.... three of those years  Dave changed clubs mid season....Finished up 1981....Ironic fact; In 1972 Padres draft third baseman Dave Roberts and instantaneously assign him to a regular spot on the big club...no relation however.

#394 Ken Forsch

Another brother act.... eventually....Ken secured a starting spot with 1971 Astros....Brother Bob would eventually surface in 1974....the only brothers in MLB history to both throw no hitters....an odd career  after a late season call up in 1970 began as a starter for three years....took a four season exile to bullpen....returned to starting in last portion of career and had the best returns....played 11 seasons in Houston then three full ones and two fragments of seasons in Anaheim....never a big winner, topping out at 13 victories in 1982....finished with 114 wins, 113 losses, in 521 games...decent 3.37 ERA mark....never the less made two all star teams something Bob never did who once was a 20 game winner....went into Houston Astro’s front office after his playing days.

#416 Johnny Edwards

14 year veteran who was more proficient in the first third of his career than the remainder….Principle backstop for the Reds team of the early 60’s….good power and fair average augmented with all star berths and Gold Gloves…hit a wall in 1966….lost #1 status, sharing catching duties with Don Pavelich…1968 trade to Cards relegated him to backup to Tim McCarver….time in St. Louis was short lived and was traded to Astros who were cleaning house at catcher….regains bountiful playing time in the Lone Star State and is reestablished as Edwards as first string….considered by some as one the best defensive catchers ever but playing in the relative obscurity of Houston clouds such evaluations….neither hit as well for power or average in Houston when compared to the early years with the Reds….Personal best in a Astro uniform he hit .268 with 5 home runs and 40 RBIs…lost playing time thereafter….out of baseball after 1974....3rd Johnny profiled so far, all catchers.

#466 Norm Miller

Longtime Astro reserve outfielder....From 1970 to 1971 was relegated from 4^th outfielder to 5^th or 6^th.....closest to regular status: 1969 garnering 409 at bats, hitting .264, 50 RBIs ....decent but unspectacular....slumped the next year to .239...lost playing time thereafter....finished career in Atlanta in a very sparse role 1973-74.....blue collar player, hustling type who wanted to play...play semi-pro baseball at age 14....was a good football player in Van Nuys high school

#480 Lee May

Hallmarks were power and strikeouts...With a large girth, overwhelmingly a 1^st baseman by trade and fielded position well...paired with Johnny Bench, Tony Perez,  and Pete Rose (and some early help from Vada Pinson and Alex Johnson) he was a piece of the run making  cog of the that would eventually become the Big Red Machine...home run totals incrementally increased 2 in a Sept call up 1966, 12 in first full season 1967, 22 in 1968, and his career second best mark of 38 in 1969......accompanying 1969 mark was a career best 110 RBI’s....his 34 HRs was eclipsed by the career seasons by Bench, Toland, and Perez in the first incarnation of the Big Red Machine of 1970....Lee’s career home run mark of 39 in 1971 is followed by a blockbuster trade to the Astros who were desperate for power and a Bonne fide cleanup hitter....Lee did not fail averaging 27 home runs over three seasons despite the Astrodome’s rep... As an Astro was named to his third all star team....Trade to Baltimore in 1975 introduced him to the designated hitting and a return to cleanup...best year as an Oriole was 1976 when had 25 homers, 109 RBIs....played in Baltimore though 1980....picked up via free agency as a deep reserve by the Royals for 1981 and 82....hit .301 for the club....Not to confused with Lee Maye, longtime outfielder for Braves, Astros, Senators...354 career home runs by a man who confessed to always want to hit a home run....Brother to Carols May who played in a different way....together they combined for 444 dingers, sixth on the all time brothers act list.

#507 Fred Gladding

Tale of Two Cities....Two team bullpen specialist spending almost equal time between Detroit and then Houston....Started in Detroit 1961, traded to Astros 1968 and stayed until 1973... stingy situational pitcher for the Tigers with 2.70 ERA, .....didn't look good during first season in Texas was a bona fided flop with arm troubles and very little work....bounced back nicely,  a saves leader with Astros with 76 over 6 seasons.....29 of them came in 1969 when he led the NL in that category...the drawback of that and 1970 was an elevated ERA....was able to cut it nearly in half for 1971-72....wore glasses when he played...finished with winning record of 48-34....Was notoriously bad with a bat in hand....one hit in 63 At Bats.... that's a .016 BA.....no walks eithers...had 5 sacrifices and according to his 1973 card brought in the winning run...should have hung out with Terry Forester and Ken Brett...RIP 2015

#536 Doug Rader

Distinctive red hair...steady, above average 3^rd baseman for the Astros franchise...excellent  fielder taking five consecutive gold glove awards  equaling Ron Santo’s string at the time....bat showed good pop hitting 20+ HRs three times mostly in a difficult park...usually placed 2-3^rd in Astros home runs for a season....moved on to the Padres for 1976 as part of their veteran movement....sold to the first year Toronto mid season...finished final season 14 home runs started to get into managing in 1980....Started his skipper career with San Diego’s AAA affiliate Hawaii....three winning seasons later, entered into Texas Rangers dugout for 1983....dismissed early in 1986 season...next big chance was with Angels in 1989...won 91 games....next season and a half  team hovered barely at .500...not good enough for Gene Autry and was replaced by Buck Rogers in 1991.