Happy Birthday - 12/19

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Brandon Meredith (24)
Drafted out of San Diego State in the sixth round in 2011, Meredith spent his third professional season at Lancaster in 2013. In 105 games, he hit .279/.399/.507 with 25 doubles, five triples, 16 home runs and 68 RBI. Meredith showed the biggest improvement from the prior season in OBP, walking 64 times and having the sixth highest OBP for Astros minor leaguers appearing in at least 100 games.

Tom Lawless (57)
In his fifth season working in the Astros minor league system, Lawless served as one of the Astros Development Specialists for infield development and was assigned to the Oklahoma City RedHawks team in 2013. Lawless is still remembered by many for his three-run home run for the Cardinals in Game 4 of the World Series in 1987 and his subsequent bat flip seen here 48 seconds in.

 Former Astros with birthdays today ~

OF Walt "No Neck" Williams (70)
Where have all the good nicknames gone? No Neck signed with Houston as an amateur free agent prior to the 1963 season. In 10 games for the Colt .45's in 1964, Williams went hitless in nine at-bats. He went on to play several more seasons with the White Sox, Indians and Yankees with a .270/.310/.365 career batting line.

RHP Joe Slusarski (47)
Originally drafted by Oakland in the second round in 1988, Slusarski came to Houston as a free agent in May 1998. In 65 games pitched for the Astros in 1999, 2000 and 2001, he had a 4.57 ERA and a 1.379 WHIP.