Happy Birthday - 4/19

Happy Birthday to ~

Tri-City Pitching Coach Chris Holt (35)
No, not that Chris Holt. This Chris Holt toiled briefly in the Pittsburgh minor league system and will be in his first season coaching in the Astros organization.

Three former Astros with birthdays today as well ~

LF Aaron "Hawk" Pointer (72)
Pointer played in 40 games for the Colt .45's and Astros in 1963, 1966 and 1967 with less than auspicious results. His minor league numbers and his family ties are what brought him some degree of fame. Pointer is the last person to hit over .400 over a full summer in U.S. minor league ball when he batted .402 in 93 games for the Salisbury Braves in the Western Carolina league in 1961. He is also brother to Anita, June, Bonnie and Ruth, also known as The Pointer Sisters. I'm so excited.  For more of his story, visit Baseball-Reference's Bullpen writeup.

OF Jose Cruz Jr. (40)
Originally drafted by the Mariners in the first round in 1995, Cruz went on to play for nine teams over 12 seasons including 38 games for Houston at the end of his career. He came in second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1997, losing to Nomar Garciaparra, and won a Gold Glove in 2003 while playing for the Giants. His best season was 2001 for Toronto when he hit .274/.326/.530 with 38 doubles, four triples, 34 home runs, 88 RBI's and 32 stolen bases.

MGR Harry Craft (died August 3, 1995 at 80)
Craft played CF for the Reds in the late 30's and early 40's before going into the military during WWII. He managed for the Kansas City Athletics and the Chicago Cubs before coming to Houston to manage the expansion Colt .45's from 1962 to 1964.