Happy Birthday - 5/14 and 5/15

A belated Happy Birthday to those born on the 14th ~

Bullpen Coach Dennis Martinez (59)
Martinez, the first major league player to come out of Nicaragua, is in his first season as bullpen coach for the Astros. In 23 years in the major leagues (most of those years for Baltimore and Montreal), Martinez was 245-193 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.266 WHIP and was a four-time All-Star.

One former Astro ~

C Pat Borders (50)
Originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the sixth round in 1982, Borders came to Houston in an August 1995 trade with the Royals and only played in 11 games for the Astros with forgettable results. He had a 17-year major league career with nine different teams. His most notable years were with the Blue Jays where he won two World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. He was MVP in the 1992 Series as he hit .450/.500/.750 in six games. He also won a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team in the 2000 Sydney games.

Also, a Very Happy Birthday to Astros Assistant Director of Player Development Allen Rowin!

And for the 15th, we want to wish a very Happy Birthday to ~

CF Brandon Barnes (27)
Originally drafted by the Astros in the sixth round in 2005, Barnes made his major league debut on August 7, 2012. With a crowded field of outfield candidates going in to Spring Training, Barnes set himself apart and earned a spot on the Astros major league roster. Through 26 games so far this season, Barnes is hitting .323/.403/.475 and was in consideration for the AL Rookie of the Month in April.

Brandon Barnes - Spring Training 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen