Happy Birthday - 3/21

C Rene Garcia (22)
Garcia was drafted in the 35th round in 2008 out of high school in his native Puerto Rico.  In 86 games for Lancaster in 2011, he hit .242/.288/.303 and had a 30% caught stealing percentage (37% for his minor league career).  During the winter, he played in 21 games for the Puerto Rican league.  Getting some home cooking must have agreed with him as he hit .333/.409/.487 in the winter.

RHP Bobby Doran (23)
Drafted in the 4th round in 2010 out of Texas Tech, Doran did not fare well in the launching pad at Lancaster in 2011.  Even though his home run rate was up, it was his elevated walk rate that really hurt him.  I'm not going to post his 2011 stats since it's his birthday.  A new season is beginning and Doran gets a fresh start to show us why he was a 4th round pick.

Photo by Bryan Green

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

1B Prentice Almont "Pidge" Browne (died June 3, 1997 at 68)
Browne played in 65 games for the Colt 45's in 1962, a rookie at 33.  According to Baseball-Reference:

Pidge Browne was a long time minor league star who at the age of 33 finally got a shot at the major leagues with the expansion Houston Colt .45's in 1962 ... He was the Texas League home run champion in 1955 when he hit 33 home runs for Shreveport. He later became a fan favorite playing for the Houston minor league team in the late 1950s. 

He hit .210/.298/.320 with four doubles, two triples and a home run for Houston that season and never played in the major leagues again.

OF Tommy Davis (73)
Davis came to Houston in a trade with the Seattle Pilots in August of 1969 and played for Houston for parts of the 1969 and 1970 seasons, hitting .271/.308/.377 over 81 games.  Davis spent parts of 18 seasons in the major leagues, playing 1999 games for 10 teams and earning All-Star nods and National League batting titles in 1962 and 1963.