Happy Birthday - 3/11

No future Astros, but several former Astros celebrate birthdays today ~

2B/OF Chris Burke (34)
A first round draft pick for the Astros in 2001, Burke hit .249/.319/.377 in 359 games for Houston from 2004 to 2007. At AAA in 2004, he hit .315/.396/.507 but was being blocked at 2B by both Jeff Kent and Craig Biggio. In December of 2007, he was included in a trade to Arizona for Jose Valverde. Chris Burke will always be remembered by Astros fans for this moment in the 2005 NLDS Game 4 18-inning marathon. "It's gone! It's gone! It's gone!"

CF Cesar Geronimo (66)
Obtained by the Astros from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft in 1968, Geronimo spent three seasons with Houston from 1969 to 1971, hitting .228/.272/.307 before being included in the Joe Morgan trade to the Reds in November of 1971. He went on to earn four Gold Gloves for Cincinnati. His best year at the plate was 1976 when he hit .307 in the regular season and .308 in the World Series for the Reds.

RF Bobby Abreu (39)
Abreu played in 79 games for Houston at the start of his career before being drafted by Tampa Bay in the expansion draft and quickly flipped to the Phillies. He maintained a .303 batting average for Philadelphia over nine seasons while collecting a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger and two All-Star nods. He led the National League in triples in 1999 and in doubles in 2002 before moving to the American League, playing first for the Yankees and then the Angels for several seasons. Abreu came back to the National League in 2012, playing for the Dodgers. After sitting out the 2013 season, he recently signed as a free agent with the Phillies.

RF Larry Ray (56)
A fourth round pick by the Astros in 1979, Ray got one hit and one RBI in his cup of coffee with Houston in 1982.