The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division, having moved to the division in 2013 after spending their first 51 seasons in the National League (NL). They are one of two major league clubs based in Texas; the Texas Rangers belong to the same division.
Darryl Andrew Kile was an American professional baseball starting pitcher. He pitched from 1991 to 2002 for three Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, primarily for the Houston Astros. Kile was known for his sharp, big-breaking curveball. He died at the age of 33 of coronary artery disease in 2002 in Chicago, where he and the St. Louis Cardinals were staying for a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs. He was the first active major league player to die during the regular season since 1979, when the New York Yankees' Thurman Munson died in a plane crash.
Jeffrey Robert Bagwell is an American former professional baseball first baseman and coach who spent his entire 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) playing career with the Houston Astros.
Robert Clayton Shantz is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1949 through 1964, and won the 1952 American League Most Valuable Player Award as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics. A three-time All-Star, Shantz won eight consecutive Gold Glove Awards and won a World Series championship with the 1958 New York Yankees. He is the last living Philadelphia Athletics player and the oldest living MLB MVP. Additionally, he and Tommy Brown, are the only two former players still alive who debuted in the 1940s.
Joaquín Andújar was a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, and Oakland Athletics from 1976 through 1988. Andújar was a four-time MLB All-Star and a Gold Glove Award winner.
Carlos Noriel Lee, nicknamed "El Caballo", is a Panamanian former professional baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1999 to 2012 with the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, and Miami Marlins. He had 17 career grand slams, ranking him seventh in MLB history ; his seven grand slams hit with the Astros is a club record he shares with Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman.
Roy Edward Oswalt is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Oswalt played for the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Houston Astros. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Colorado Rockies.
Justin Brooks Verlander is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros and New York Mets throughout a 19-season career. A three-time Cy Young Award winner as well as an AL MVP recipient, Verlander is considered one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history.
Enos Milton Cabell, is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman and third baseman from 1972 to 1986, most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros team that won the franchise's first-ever National League Western Division title and postseason berth in 1980. He also played for the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, and Los Angeles Dodgers. After his playing career, Cabell served as a special assistant to the General Manager of the Houston Astros.
David Arthur Roberts was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1969 to 1981 for eight teams. He was second in the National League (NL) with a 2.10 earned run average (ERA) in 1971 for the San Diego Padres, after which he was traded to the Houston Astros, where he spent the four most productive years of his career. Roberts was also a member of the 1979 World Series winning Pittsburgh Pirates team. Over his major league career he won 103 games.
This a partial list of Minor League Baseball players in the Houston Astros system and the rosters of their minor league affiliates.
Jose Carlos Altuve is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Having played for the Astros since 2011, he is the longest-tenured current member of the team, and the only one to have been with the Astros since they were in the National League. Altuve is widely regarded as one of the greatest Astros in franchise history, and one of the best second basemen of all time. On the international stage, he has represented the Venezuelan national team in the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classics (WBC). His .306 career batting average is the highest of any active player.
Martín Benjamín Maldonado is a Puerto Rican professional baseball catcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox.
Lance Graye McCullers Jr. is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Astros selected McCullers in the first round of the 2012 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2015, and was an All-Star in 2017.
Kyle Daniel Tucker is an American professional baseball right fielder for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Astros selected Tucker with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2018.
Framber Valdez is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Valdez signed with the Astros as an international free agent in 2015, and made his MLB debut in 2018.
The 2019 Houston Astros season was the 58th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas, their 55th as the Astros, seventh in both the American League and American League West, and 20th at Minute Maid Park.
Luis Heibardo García is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). García signed with the Astros as an international free agent in 2017, and made his MLB debut in 2020.
The 2021 Houston Astros season was the 60th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas, their 57th as the Astros, ninth in both the American League and American League West, and 22nd at Minute Maid Park.