Happy Birthday - 1/19

Happy Birthday to ~

1B/DH Japhet Amador (27)
Amador toiled in the Mexican League from 2007 until he was signed in August of 2013 by the Astros. In 104 games for the Diablos Rojos in 2013, he hit .368/.419/.693 with 22 doubles and 36 home runs. In 10 games with Oklahoma City after the signing, Amador hit .302/.302/.302.

Several former Astros are celebrating birthdays today ~

OF Orlando Palmiero (45)
Originally drafted by the Angels in the 33rd round in 1991, Palmiero came to Houston as a free agent in January 2004. In 420 games played for the Astros from 2004 to 2007, he hit .258/.332/.356. He won a World Series with the Angels in 2002.

LHP Ramon de los Santos (65)
Signed by the Astros as an amateur free agent from the Dominican Republic in 1972, de los Santos pitched in 12 games in 1974 for Houston with a 2.19 ERA and a 1.622 WHIP.

RHP Jeff Juden (43)
A first round pick by the Astros in 1989, Juden pitched in only six games (three starts) for Houston in 1991 and 1993 with a 5.87 ERA and a 1.478 WHIP before being traded to the Phillies, along with Doug Jones, for Mitch Williams in December 1993.

3B/1B Phil Nevin (43)
The first overall pick of the draft in 1992, Nevin only played in 18 games for the Astros in 1995 before he was traded to the Tigers in August 1995. Nevin went on to play 12 major league seasons for seven different teams, hitting a cumulative .270/.343/.472 and was an All-Star for the Padres in 2001, a year in which he hit 41 home runs. He is slated to manage the Reno Aces in the Pacific Coast League for the Diamondbacks organization in 2014.

RHP Anthony Young (48)
Originally drafted by the Mets in the 38th round in 1987, this Houston native signed with the Astros as a free agent in January 1996. In 28 games for Houston that season, he had a 4.59 ERA and a 1.740 WHIP.

Manager Brad Mills (57)
Mills managed the Astros from 2010 until his firing in August 2012 with a record of 171-274. Mills was dealt a bad hand with the teams he was given, but he is now a part of the Astros history for better or worse. He was recently moved from third base coach to bench coach for the Cleveland Indians.