Happy Birthday - 11/4

Former Astros celebrating birthdays today ~

C Mark Bailey (52)
A sixth round pick for Houston in 1982, Bailey played for the Astros from 1984 to 1988 before being traded to the Montreal Expos for Casey Candaele in 1988. In 322 games for Houston, he hit .223/.340/.340. Since retiring from playing, Bailey has been a coach in the Astros system.  He served as bullpen coach for the Astros from 2002 to 2009 and has since functioned as the hitting coach for Corpus Christi in 2010 and the hitting coach for Tri-City in 2011 and 2012. In 2013 he was a catching "development specialist" and was assigned to the Corpus Christi team.

OF Ryan Thompson (46)
Originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the 13th round in 1987, Thompson came to Houston as a free agent in January 1999. In 12 games for the Astros that season, he hit .200/.273/.400.

RHP Ezequiel Astacio (34)
Astacio came to Houston as part of the November 2003 Philadelphia trade for Billy Wagner. In 28 games (14 starts) for the Astros in 2005 and 2006, he was 5-6 with a 6.02 ERA and a 1.592 WHIP. Astacio never made it back to the major leagues.

LHP Travis Blackley (31)
Originally signed by the Mariners as a free agent in 2000, the Australian native came to Houston in an April 2013 trade with Oakland that sent OF Jake Goebbert to the A's. In 42 appearances for Houston, he was 1-1 with a 4.89 ERA and a 1.429 WHIP before being traded to the Rangers in August. Apparently, he wasn't too terribly broken up about the trade.