Happy Birthday - 2/11

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Wallace Gonzalez (20)
Drafted in the 29th round in 2011 out of high school in California, Gonzalez spent his second professional season with the GCL Astros. In 41 games, he hit .256/.295/.384.

Former Astros with birthdays today ~

RF John Paciorek (68)
Signed by Houston as an amateur free agent in 1963, Paciorek had the ultimate cup of coffee in the majors.  In one game for the 1963 Colt 45's, he went 3-for-3 with two walks, scored four runs and drove in three, all at the ripe old age of 18! He ended his career with a 1.000/1.000/1.000 batting line.

RHP Matt Lindstrom (33)
Originally drafted by the Mets in the 10th round in 2002, Lindstrom came to Houston in a December 2009 trade with the Marlins. In 58 games for the Astros in late relief in 2010, he was 2-5 with 23 saves, a 4.39 ERA and a 1.650 WHIP. He was traded to Colorado in December 2010 for Jonnathan Aristil and Wes Musick. He played most recently with the Diamondbacks, but recently signed with the White Sox as a free agent.

C J.R. Towles (29)
A 20th round pick by the Astros in 2004, Towles played in 155 games for Houston over five seasons from 2007 to 2011. Although he started out with a bang in a September call-up in 2007, hitting .375/.432/.575 and breaking the Astros single game RBI record with eight RBI's in one game, he ultimately ended up with a .187 batting average at the major league level. In eight seasons at the minor league level, he had a .295/.394/.465 batting line. Towles played most recently in the Twins organization. He signed as a free agent with the Cardinals in December.

RF Ollie Brown (69)
Purchased from the Angels in March 1974, Brown played in 27 games for Houston that season, hitting .217/.260/.362. Out of 13 major league seasons, his best season was 1970 for the Padres when he hit .292/.331/.489 with 31 doubles, a triple and 23 home runs in 139 games.