What do these Astro Bobble Heads and figurines have in common? That's right. None has, or ever will finish their playing careers as 100% Astros.
The 2011 MLB Playoffs are now well underway – and with a number of former Houston Astros participating with their new teams. Six of the eight playoff teams have at least one former Astro player on their rosters. The other two, the Yankees and the Rays, boast guys who were traded away as prospects from Houston in major trades that saw each man breaking into the big leagues with teams other than the Astros. We are talking here about pitcher Freddy Garcia of the Yankees and infielder Ben Zobrist of the Rays. Garcia broke into the bigs with Seattle as a result of the 1998 Astros trade with the Mariners for Randy Johnson, Zobrist broke into the majors with Tampa Bay as the result of a 2006 deal between the Astros and the Rays.
Everyone else here was either dealt directly by the Astros or simply found their meandering baseball way to their current teams in the usual ways that talent moves on the winds of need, opportunity, and desperation.
Here’s how this year’s Houston playoff batch shapes up by team, number, and name:
Phillies (3)
Roy Oswalt, P
Brad Lidge, P
Hunter Pence, RF
Cardinals (2)
Octavio Dotel, P
Lance Berkman, OF
Brewers (2)
LaTroy Hawkins, P
Randy Wolf, P
Diamondbacks (1)
Geoff Blum, INF
Yankees (0)
none
Tigers (1)
Jose Valverde, P
Rangers (1)
Darren Oliver, P
Rays (0)
None
One Final Thought
Oh yeah. There is one former Astros player in a position of high authority with one of the current playoff clubs and you shouldn’t need me to point out who that is. You have already seen his caricatured image on this page.
The Pecan Park Eagle 
October 3, 2011 at 2:08 pm |
You can add former Astro farmhands Ben Zobrist (Tampa Bay, Huff trade) and Freddy Garcia (Yankees, Johnson trade).
October 3, 2011 at 2:45 pm |
Bob –
I commented on both Garcia and Zobrist in today’s column. I didn’t add them because both were traded before they ever made an official regular season appearance with the Astros.
October 3, 2011 at 3:47 pm |
Le’ts not forget that there are 5 former Astros players or coaches who are coaches involved in this years playoffs: Jim Hickey with the Rays, Mike Maddox and Jackie Moore of the Rangers, Tony Pena with the Yankees and Gene Lamont coaching 3rd for the Tigers.,
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