Houston Astros Top Ten: Cruzin’ to the top
By Tab Bamford
An expansion team in 1962, the Astros spent decades in pursuit of a World Series title. In 2017 Houston finally claimed their first World Series trophy. The turnaround from a 111-loss team in 2013 to World Series champions drew much attention. Just as noteworthy was the players who powered this transformation. A trio of Latinos José Altuve, Carlos Correa, and George Springer paced the Astros offense. In the clubhouse Carlos Beltrán provided steady leadership that kept the Astros focused on their goal.
That Latinos were key figures in the Astros turnaround is not surprising. Latinos have long been part of the baseball tradition in Houston. The offensive star of the inaugural Houston team in 1962 was Román Mejias, a Cuban rightfielder. In the 1970s it was Dominican-born centerfielder Cesar Cedeño who led the offense. Cedeño was soon joined by Puerto Rican José Cruz who added more speed and hitting to the Astros lineup. In fact, it was during the 1990s, the era of the Killer B’s (Bagwell, Biggio, and Berkman) that fans didn’t really see Latinos being significant contributors to the Astros offense and success.
The 2017 Astros thus represented a return to a familiar formula of using Latino talent in building the team’s success. So which Astros made a big enough impact to claim a spot on Houston’s Latino Top 10? In order to figure out the Top 10 ranking we kept it simple by using WAR (as calculated by Baseball-Reference.com) as our metric of choice. And while this is one measure of the impact of these players, you might have your own opinion as to who deserves to higher (or lower) on the Astros Top 10.
Let us know of what you think of the rankings. Surprised someone is higher or lower than expected? Is there another Latino whose impact on the Astros deserved to be on the list?
Houston Astros Top Ten
1. José Cruz
13 years in Houston, 51.4 WAR, two-time All-Star, two Silver Sluggers
Puerto Rico
The Astros bought Cruz from the Cardinals in October of 1974 and he became a fixture in their outfield for the following 13 years. He led the league with 189 hits in 1983 as a 35-year-old, posting a career-high .318 batting average. Cruz appeared in 1,870 games with the Astros and accumulated 1,937 hits, 288 stolen bases, 871 runs scored and 942 RBI.
2. César Cedeño
12 years in Houston, 49.6 WAR, four-time All-Star, five Gold Glove Awards
Dominican Republic
Cedeño joined the Astros as a 19-year-old in 1970 and became one of the most feared base stealers of the 1970s. He led the league in doubles in 1971 and 1972 and stole at least 50 bases from 1972-77. In 1,512 games as a member of the Astros, Cedeño piled up 1,659 hits, 487 stolen bases and scored 890 runs.
3. José Altuve
Eight years in Houston, 34.3 WAR, six-time All-Star, 2017 AL MVP, four Silver Sluggers, three batting titles, one Gold Glove Award
Venezuela
Still only 28, Altuve is already one of the most individually decorated players in the history of the Houston Astros. He has led the league in hits the last four seasons, passing 200 hits in each of those campaigns. He also led the league in stolen bases twice (2014-15) and has won three batting titles. The icing on top of that excellence is the World Series championship he helped bring the city of Houston in 2017.
4. Carlos Correa
Four years in Houston, 18.7 WAR, 2015 AL Rookie of the Year, one All-Star Game
Puerto Rico
The number one overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, Correa made it to the big leagues at 20 and made an immediate impact. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2015 after hitting 22 home runs and driving in 68. Injuries have limited him this season but Correa is on the short list of candidates for best shortstop in the game.
5. George Springer
Five years in Houston, 18.3 WAR, two-time All-Star, 2017 World Series MVP, one Silver Slugger
US
The third active member of the Astros to make the top five, the impressive young stars in Houston are making a huge impact. Springer, who turned 29 on Sept. 19, joined the team in 2014 and hit 20 homers as a rookie. He was named to the All-Star Game for the first time in 2017 when he set career-highs in home runs (34) and RBI (85), but his postseason performance was one for the ages. He hit .379 with five home runs and seven RBI in the World Series, earning the MVP award for the series.
6. Richard Hidalgo
Eight years in Houston, 17.6 WAR
Venezuela
In the year 2000, Hidalgo overwhelmed National League pitching. In 153 games he set career highs in runs scored (118), hits (175), home runs (44), RBI (122), stolen bases (13) and OPS (1.028). Yet he finished tied (with teammate Moises Alou) for 20th in MVP balloting that year. Hidalgo appeared in 813 games for the Astros, hitting 134 home runs with 465 RBI and 442 runs scored with a .857 OPS.
7. Dickie Thon
Seven years in Houston, 16.0 WAR, one All-Star Game, one Silver Slugger
US
The California Angels traded Thon to Houston for Ken Forsch on April 1, 1981 and, after appearing in 80 games for the Angles the previous year, was limited to 49 games in the big leagues in 1981. In 1982 Thon led the league with ten triples. He then hit 20 homers in 1983… 20 of the 33 he would hit in 566 games with the Astros.
8. Luis Gonzalez
Seven years in Houston, 15.1 WAR
US
Gonzalez, who also made the Diamondbacks’ top ten, made his debut with Houston in 1990, appearing in 12 games. The following year Gonzalez did something for the only time in his 19-year MLB career: he struck out more than 100 times. Gonzalez would appear in 745 games for Houston, hitting 62 home tuns and driving in 366. The Astros eventually traded Gonzalez with current Mariners manager Scott Servais to the Cubs for catcher Rick Wilkins in June of 1995.
9. Mike Cuellar
Four years in Houston, 13.4 WAR, one All-Star Game
Cuba
Cuellar appeared in an All-Star Game for the first time in his career at age 30 on behalf of the Astros in 1967. Over his four years in Houston Cuellar won 37 games and struck out 557 in 700.1 innings. He was traded to Baltimore before the 1969 season and would go on to have a stellar run with the Orioles, earning a spot on our Orioles top ten.
10. Wandy Rodríguez
Eight years in Houston, 13.3 WAR
Dominican Republic
Rodríguez made at least 30 starts in four of his seven full seasons in Houston. His best season was 2009 in which he established career highs in wins (14), strikeouts (193), innings pitched (205.2) and games started (33). He was traded to Pittsburgh before the deadline in 2012.
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