Name | Astros Player Number | Astros Career | MLB Career | Position | Current | Notes |
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Rob Andrews | #11 | 1975-76 | 1975-79 | Infielder - 2nd baseman | Concord, California age 68 | his older brother Mike was also a major leaguer playing second base beginning in the mid-60's and into the 70's; after retiring from playing he coached high school and college teams; director of Rob Andrews Baseball Camp in San Francisco he founded in 1985-2010 whose coaches included former Giants served 25,000 youth by 4,000 staff; teaching English as a Second Language at Monument Impact for half a decade |
Joaquín Andújar | #47 | 1976-81, 1988 | 1976-88 | Pitcher | Passed away September 8, 2015 in Dominican Republic at age 62 | Gold Glove & 4-time All-Star; after baseball founded a Dominican Republic company in trucking; Astros gained him in a trade with the Reds before the 1976 season started; his full season suspension stemming from the Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985 was commuted for community service, fines amounting to 10% of his base pay, and random drug testing |
Mike Barlow | #39 | 1976 | 1975-81 | Pitcher | central New York age 73 | was an Athletic Director at a Syracuse High School for over a decade |
Ken Boswell | #17 | 1975-77 | 1967-77 | Infielder - 2nd baseman | Austin, Texas region age 75 | 1969 World Series champion; played in 1973 World Series; he had a bases loaded triple as part of a 7th inning earning 8 runs for the Astros to beat the Red 10-5 on September 7, 1976; he got 20 pinch hits in 1976 to set an Astros record; he is a rancher and sells antique cars |
Enos Cabell | #23 | 1975-80 | 1972-86 | Infielder - third/first baseman | Missouri City, Texas age 72 | stole 35 bases in 1976; he led the Astros with 660 At Bats in 1978; his full season suspension stemming from the Pittsburgh drug trials of 1985 was commuted for community service, fines amounting to 10% of his base pay, and random drug testing; he was involved with broadcasting Astros games and radio shows during the 90's; he has served as Texas Southern University’s Board of Regents member as well as interim athletic director; he has been a special assistant to Astros general manager James Click for over a decade and a half; cousin of major league players Ken Landreaux and Dick Davis |
César Cedeño | #28 | 1970-81 | 1970-86 | Outfielder - Center Fielder | age 70 | 5 Golden Gloves 1972-75; 4-time All-Star 1974-74, 76; hit for the cycle twice 1972, 76; .285 batting average; 199 Home Runs; 550 Stolen Bases; had the 1,000th hit of his career against Cincinnati out of 4 he contributed to the Astros win of 10-7 on July 2, 1976; found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the Dominican Republic when a gun discharged in his motel room and killed a 19 yo woman on December 11, 1973 for which he initially spent 20 days in jail before posting bail and ultimately paid a $100 fine; charged with assault, bodily injury, and resisting arrest in 1988 and then battery in 1992 both involving his girlfriend Pamela Lamon, who was pregnant the second instance; he confronted a heckler by entering the stands on September 9, 1981 at Atlanta Stadium with no punches or charges, but he was ejected and suspended with a $5000 with leniency due to apologies he made to the fan; later played in the inaugural season of the Senior Professional Baseball Association; after retiring from playing, he has coached in the minors within the US and in the Dominican and Venezuelan leagues |
Rich Chiles | #20 | 1971-72 | 1971-78 | Outfielder | Yolo County, California age 71 | Hall of Famer George Kelly was his cousin; coach for UC Davis in 1988 and hitting coach in the minor leagues in the early 90's; his time coaching future Red Sox player Dustin Pedroia as a youth at a Woodland, California hitting clinic he opened covered in the 2009 book by Dustin Pedroia, "Born to Play: My Life in the Game". |
Michael Cosgrove | #37 | 1972-76 | 1972-76 | Relief Pitcher | Chino Valley, Arizona age 70 | 122 Strike Outs |
José "Cheo" Cruz | #25 | 1975-87 | 1970-88 | Outfielder | Houston, Texas age 74 | 2-time All-Star 1980, 85; 2-time Silver Slugger 1983-84; Houston Astros Hall of Fame; .284 batting average, 2251 Hits, 165 Home Runs; His #25 Astros jersey was retired on October 3, 1992; All-Astrodome team 1999; Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame 2002; Texas Baseball Hall of Fame 2003; managed in the Puerto Rican Winter League and the Texas–Louisiana League; coached Puerto Rican team, including his son, at the 2006 World Baseball Classic; Astros first base coach 1997-2009; special assistant to the Astros |
Jerry DaVanon | #16 | 1975-76 | 1969-77 | Infielder | Houston, Texas age 76 | his son is major league outfielder Jeff DaVanon; 73 runs overall; with the Astros during 1976 he batted .290 and had 20 RBI even though he operated as backup to Rob Andrews and Roger Metzger; after the 1976 season he was a contestant on Hollywood Squares and the host Peter Marshall requested he misplay the ball when his son Pete LaCock of the Chicago Cubs gets a hit; had to back out of a new teacher/coach contract (off-season job) when the Astros unexpectedly called him up to the majors for a short stint during the 1975 season and ultimately decided to sign him to a contract. manager for the Bellaire High School off-season baseball program; refereed high school basketball games for about three decades |
Larry Dierker | #49 | 1964-76 | 1964-77 | Pitcher | age 75 retired in Houston | Astros manager for 5 years with his former coach Bill Virdon assisting as bench coach in 1997; Astros Color commentator for almost a couple decades; He holds numerous all-time records with the Astros; His number 49 was retired by the Astros in 2002 - 49sfastball.com; authored 2003 book "This Ain't Brain Surgery: How to Win the Pennant Without Losing Your Mind" |
Ken Forsch | #43 | 1970-80 | 1970-86 | Relief Pitcher | age 75 | 2-time All-Star; had a no hitter on April 7, 1979 against the Braves; Appeared as himself in the 1977 movie "The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training" |
Tom Griffin | #38 | 1969-1976 | 1969-82 | Pitcher | age 73 | 1054 strikeouts |
Greg Gross | #21 | 1973-76, 89 | 1973-89 | Outfielder | West Chester, Pennsylvania age 69 | World Series champion 1980; he would actually pitch sometimes when a game was a blow out in 1986 & 89; he did some broadcasting in 1991; worked in real estate; coached for Malvern Prep High School, minor league, and two stints with the Phillies 2001-4 & 2010-12; coached for Reno Aces for 8 seasons through 2020 |
Larry Hardy | #42 | 1976 | 1974-1976 | Relief Pitcher | age 73 | UT Austin graduate where he was the leader in 1970 with 86 strikeouts and 1.36 ERA; after closing out his playing career, he spent over a couple decades coaching at various levels, including many in the majors with his final 7 under Texas Rangers manager Johnny Oates as bench, bullpen, and ultimately pitching coach; he subsequently served as an umpire observer for MLB; Coached Wednesday morning practice of the Republican congressional baseball team that was fired upon June 14, 2017 at Eugene Simpson Park in Alexandria, Virginia and the subsequent Congressional Baseball Game for Charity held at Nationals Park the very next day. |
Ed "Hoggy" Herrmann | #8 | 1976-78 | 1967-78 | Catcher | passed away December 22, 2013 at age 67 in Poway, California | All-Star 1974; 80 Home Runs; known as a talented knuckle ball catcher; was the catcher for the no-hitter pitched by Larry Dierker on July 9, 1976; set a record for catchers on July 4, 1972 against the Orioles with 3 double plays; after retiring from playing, he was a scout for the Royals and coached youth teams and was active in charity events; grandson of 1918 major league pitcher Marty Herrman |
Wilbur Howard | #26 | 1974-78 | 1973-78 | Outfielder | age 72 | .250 batting average, 6 Home Runs; finished out his playing career in the minors with his last season in 1983 |
Art Howe | #18 | 1976-82 | 1974-85 | Infielder | Houston, Texas age 74 | after retiring from playing, he managed or coached at a variety of MLB teams until 2008; he managed the Astros from 1989-1993; 43 home runs overall |
Al Javier | #29 | 1976 | 1976 | Outfielder | age 67 | played in 8 games for the Astros; played in the minors for over a decade |
Cliff "Heathcliff" Johnson | #6 | 1972-77 | 1972-86 | Catcher | age 74 | 2-time 1977-78 World Series champion; 196 home runs; brother-in-law of former major leaguer Mike Easler who was also with the Houston Astros until being traded after the 1975 season |
Alfred "Skip" Jutze | #9 | 1973-76 | 1972-77 | Catcher | Littleton, Colorado age 75 | on the inaugural Seattle Mariners roster in 1977; hit first grand slam home run in Mariners history |
Grover "Deacon" Jones | #4 | coached Astros 1976–82 | player 1962-66 | Coach | Houston, Texas age 87 | nickname originated because his father was a deacon in the Baptist Church; got to meet Jackie Robinson and get life advice while trying out for the Dodgers and then later reunite and get a hug from him in the airport while traveling with his minor league teammates; American Legion Junior Player of the Year 1952; first African American honored with a plaque in Cooperstown; has record for batting average (.409) in a single season in the Midwest League set in 1956 for the Dubuque Packers; scout, coach, and manager in minor leagues after retiring as a player; After coaching with the Astros, he helped with the San Diego Padres and the Baltimore Orioles; first meeting of two organized baseball teams where both managers, Bernie Smith (Brewers affiliated team) and Deacon (leading a White Sox farm club in Wisconsin), were African-American on June 19, 1973; currently Special Assistant to the Houston Astros Triple-A Affiliate Sugar Land Skeeters |
Dan Larson | #34 | 1976-77 | 1976-82 | Pitcher | age 67 | His 1976 ERA of 3.02 was his best; played in minor leagues until retiring in 1984 |
Mark Lemongello | #51 | 1976-78 | 1976-79 | Pitcher | age 66 | 209 strikeouts; played in minor leagues until retiring in 1980; was arrested for kidnapping and robbery with another former MLB pitcher as an accomplice in 1982 and received many years on probation |
Bob "The Flea" Lillis | #5 | player 1962-67 coach 1967, 73-82 mgr 1982-85 | 1958-67 | Infielder / Manager / Coach | Orlando, Florida age 91 | American Association All-Star 1957-58; inaugural member of Colt .45's team that became the Astros; played in 817 games as a player; served in a myriad of roles with the Astros he then was a coach under managers Leo Durocher, Preston Gómez and Bill Virdon before managing the Astros himself; first to play for and manage the Astros; won 276 games as a manager; coached in the 1985 and 1990 All-Star games and the 1989 World Series; inaugural Pasadena City College Sports Hall of Fame Class of 1961; he retired from coaching after the 1996 season |
Bo McLaughlin | #39 | 1976-79 | 1976-82 | Relief Pitcher | age 67 | Took a line drive to the face in 1981 breaking his eye socket and cheekbone in 5 places causing him to go into shock and vomit blood requiring 2 surgeries; played in the minors for 3 seasons; was a real estate broker, then he went on to coach in the minor leagues over a couple of decades for 8 teams as pitching coach or coordinator culminating in time at the Colorado Rockies |
Roger Metzger | #14 | 1971-78 | 1970-80 | Infielder - Shortstop | Brenham, Texas age 74 | Golden Glove 1973; 1971, 73 2-time National League leader in Triples; picked as an alternate for the US Olympic baseball team in 1968; achieved 59 consecutive games without an error to set a National League record in 1976; lost his fingertips on his right hand in an accident building a wooden playhouse with a table saw for a Christmas present on November 29, 1979; he was signed as a coach for the Giants for the rest of the season after being released in 1980; he ran a restaurant with his wife for more than a decade; Texas Baseball Hall of Fame 1996; his #14 jersey was retired on June 2005 by St. Edward's University; taught mathematics at Brenham High School; procurement officer at the Brenham State School |
Larry Milbourne | #10 | 1974-76 | 1974-84 | Infielder - Second Base/Shortstop | age 70 | reported late to Astros 1975 spring training; played in the 1981 World Series; retired from playing after the 1984 season |
Joe Niekro | #36 | 1975-1985 | 1967-88 | Pitcher | passed away October 27, 2006 at the age of 61 in Tampa, Florida | 1987 World Series champion; All-Star; 1747 strikeouts; Houston Astros Hall of Fame; Center of ball scuffing incident on August 3, 1987 and made an TV appearance a few weeks later on the Late Night with David Letterman show carrying a power sander |
Tony Pacheco | #3 | coach 1976-79, 82 | coach 1974, 76-79, 82 | Infielder / Coach | passed away March 23, 1987 at the age of 59 in Miami Beach, Florida | played in the minors from 1949-56; started managing in Havana and then transitioned into the US minor leagues; became a scout for the Colt .45s in 1961; signed César Cedeño to his first professional contract; was spearheading the exiled Federal of Cuban Professional Players' unfinished Cuban baseball Hall of Fame in Miami at the time of his death |
Gene Pentz | #30 | 1976-78 | 1975-78 | Pitcher | age 68 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania | 116 strikeouts; retired from baseball in 1981 due to arthritis in the back; managed for a few years in the local amateur league; served on the Greater Johnstown School District Board of Directors since 2003 and appointed president in 2019 |
J.R. Richard | #50 | 1971-80 | 1971-80 | Pitcher | passed away August 4, 2021 at the age of 71 in Houston | 1493 strikeouts, 3.15 ERA, All-Star, Strikeout Leader in National League 1978-79, ERA Leader in National League 1979, Houston Astros Hall of Fame; Collapsed playing catch before an Astros game after a neck blood clot caused a major stroke requiring emergency surgery, which ended his MLB career; played in minor league until 1984; homeless in 1994; became a Christian minister; 2005 movie "Resurrection: The J. R. Richard Story"; Authored 2015 book: "Still Throwing Heat: Strikeouts, the Streets, and a Second Chance." |
Leon Roberts | #22 | 1976-77 | 1974-84 | Outfielder | age 70 | he had bad vision in his right eye from an accident as a kid with a knife and he hid this fact during his playing days by memorizing the eye chart ahead of time |
Gilberto Rondón | #45 | 1976 | 1976, 1979 | Pitcher | age 67 coaching youth in Orlando, Florida | his playing career lasted over a decade with most of that being in the minors; played in the Senior Professional Baseball League in 1990; coached for Puerto Rico in 2009 and was a pitching coach in the Mexican Baseball League in 2018 |
Joe Sambito | #35 | 1976-84 | 1976-87 | Pitcher - fastball/slider specialist | age 69 in Irvine, California | All-Star 1979, 84 saves, 3.03 ERA, 489 strikeouts; after retirement he has been an MLB player agent for almost 3 decades |
Paul Siebert | #31 | 1974-76 | 1974-78 | Pitcher | Orlando, Florida age 68 | father was 1930's and 40's former major league first baseman Dick Siebert; pitched a shutout and hit a homer for Edina to beat Little Falls 1-0 in the championship game at the inaugural Princeton American Legion Baseball Tournament in Princeton, Minnesota in June 1970, ; threw the first pitch at the inauguration of the newly rebuilt Siebert Field at the University of Minnesota on April 15, 2013 where his father coached the Gophers over 4 decades; traded as part of the "Saturday Night Massacre" on June 15, 1977 along with Bobby Valentine from San Diego to the New York Mets for Dave Kingman |
José Sosa | #44 | 1975-76 | 1975-76 | Pitcher | passed away June 8, 2013 at age 60 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | got a save in his first start in the majors as well as a homer at his first at bat; after the majors, he played in the minor leagues for a couple more years and then transitioned to a bullpen coach |
Alex Taveras | #15 | 1976 | 1976-83 | Infielder - Shortstop and Second Baseman | age 66 | his playing career spanned 1974-85 including the minors; he has since coached in the Dominican Winter League |
Bill Virdon | #7 | managed 1975-82 | player 1955-65, 68 | Center Fielder / Manager | Springfield, Missouri age 90 | 2-time World Series champion 1960, 71; Golden Glove 1962; while in the Yankee system in the early 50's he had trouble as a center fielder when Mickey Mantle was his competition; Rookie of the Year 1955 in National League; played with Stan Musial as a teammate during his rookie season with the Cardinals; he missed the batting title for the National League in 1956 being beat out by Hank Aaron; managed in minor leagues after retiring from playing and then in the majors 1972-84 across 4 teams; first manager hired and fired by George Steinbrenner with the Yankees; led the Astros to the 1980 National League Championship Series; has the record for most wins as an Astros manager; Missouri Sports Hall of Fame 1983 and statue of his amazing catch as the Pittsburgh Pirate center fielder in the 4th inning of game 1 of the 1960 World Series of a Yogi Berra deep fly ball; retired from coaching in 2002 with 995 wins as a manager over 13 seasons; a portion of Business Route 63 in West Plains, Missouri is named "Bill Virdon Boulevard"; spring training guest instructor for the Pirates; will celebrate his 70th wedding anniversary in November 2021 |
Bob "Bull" Watson | #27 | 1966-79 | 1966-84 | Infielder - First Baseman/Left Fielder | passed away May 14, 2020 aged 74 in Houston, Texas | 2-time All-Star 1973, 75; first player to hit for the cycle in both NL 1977 and AL 1979; Houston Astros Hall of Fame; .295 batting average and 184 Home Runs; high school team also had future major league players Bobby Tolan and Willie Crawford; scored the millionth run in MLB history on May 4, 1975 beating Dave Concepción's Cincinnati home run by about 4 seconds and claiming the $10,000 prize; played in the 1981 World Series; after retiring from play he was the hitting coach for the A's for 4 years; he was the assistant general manager after the 1988 season and became general manager after the 1993 season; he moved to the Yankees after the 1995 season for a couple seasons; was the first African American GM to win a World Series championship in 1996; earned a B.S. degree in 1999; worked as a MLB VP; worked to select the players for the 2000 USA Olympics Baseball who won the gold medal; wrote 1997 book "Survive To Win" |
Mel Wright | #2 | | player 1954-61 | Pitcher / Coach | passed away May 16, 1983 at the age of 55 in Houston, Texas | 36 strikeouts; playing career lasted from 1950-61 with time in the majors with the Cardinals and Cubs; teammate and longtime associate of manager Bill Virdon; he coached under Virdon at the Pirates, Yankees, Astros, and Expos |