Astros April Birthday Babies

Wishing a Very Happy Birthday to the following Astros April babies ...

Ralph Garza - May 2016

Photo by Jayne Hansen

4-1: OF Cesar Cortez (18)
4-3: RHP Johsson Arias (23)
4-3: RHP Humberto Castellanos (19)
4-6: RHP Ralph Garza (23)
4-9: C Jamie Ritchie (24)
4-13: RHP Enrique Chavez (21)
4-18: C Jake Rogers (22)
4-21: RHP Justin Ferrell (23)
4-21: LHP Ryan Hartman (23)
4-22: RHP Bryan Abreu (20)
4-24: OF Carlos Beltran (40)
4-25: LHP Carlos Perdomo (19)
4-27: 3B J.D. Davis (24)
4-28: 2B Jonathan Matute (20)

Happy Birthday - 3/31

No future Astros with birthdays today, but one former Astro celebrates ~

RHP Rafael Montalvo (51)
Montalvo was included as part of the Dodger trade in July 1985 for Enos Cabell. His entire major league career consisted of pitching one inning on April 13, 1986. At 22, he was 17 years younger than teammate Nolan Ryan. He continued to toil in the minors and last played in independent ball in 1999. In 13 seasons in the minors and independent league ball, he was 59-48 with 83 saves and a 3.75 ERA in 561 games.

Happy Birthday - 3/30

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Jake Marisnick (24)
Originally drafted by the Blue Jays in the third round in 2009, Marisnick came to Houston as a part of the July 2014 trade that sent RHP Jarred Cosart, OF Austin Wates and IF/OF Kiké Hernandez to the Marlins. In 51 games for Houston, he hit .272/.299/.370.

These former Astros have birthdays today as well ~

LHP Jeriome Robertson (died May 29, 2010 at 33)
Robertson was drafted by Houston in the 24th round in 1995 and pitched for Houston in 2002 and 2003 before being traded to Cleveland in March of 2004 for Luke Scott. The 2003 season was Robertson's shining moment in the majors. Despite a somewhat high 5.10 ERA and 1.519 WHIP, he managed a 15-9 record. His eight appearances for Cleveland didn't impress and his last major league game was in July of 2004. He died in a motorcycle accident in May 2010 at only 33.

RHP Chris Gardner (46)
A sixth round draft pick by Houston in 1988, Gardner was 1-2 with a 4.01 ERA and a 1.338 WHIP in five games (four starts) for Houston in 1991. A September call-up, Gardner never made it back to the show.

RHP Conrad Cardinal (73)
Drafted by the Colt .45's from Detroit in November 1962, Cardinal appeared in six games (one start) for Houston in 1963 at the ripe old age of 21. Those six games constituted his entire major league career.

Happy Birthday - 3/29

Happy Birthday to ~

1B/2B Jared Cruz (20)
Cruz played his first professional season in the Braves organization in 2014, coming to Houston after the season ended. Cruz, who is originally from Melbourne, Australia, was the player to be named later in the July 2014 trade that sent RHP Andrew Robinson to the Braves.

One former Astro celebrates the day as well ~

UT Eric Bruntlett (37)
Drafted by Houston in the ninth round in 2000, Bruntlett spent five seasons, between 2003 and 2007 playing for the Astros, hitting .250/.323/.364 over 320 games. In November of 2007, he was traded along with Brad Lidge to the Phillies for Michael Bourn, Mike Costanzo and Geoff Geary. In August 2009, he became only the second player in major league history to end a game with an unassisted triple play.

Happy Birthday - 3/28

Happy Birthday to ~

SS Marcos Almonte (19)
Almonte played his first professional season in 2014 for the Dominican Summer League Astros. In 67 games, he hit .233/.359/.353 with 13 doubles, one triple and one home run. He is from the Dominican Republic.

No future Astros with birthdays today, but two former Astros celebrate ~

1B Glenn Davis (54)
Davis, a first round draft pick (fifth overall) for Houston in 1981, played for the Astros from 1984 to 1990, hitting .262/.337/.483 with 150 doubles, 10 triples and 166 home runs over 830 games. Davis was a two-time All-Star and also won the Silver Slugger Award before being traded to the Orioles in January of 1991 for Pete Harnisch, Curt Schilling and  Steve Finley. After a disappointing tenure with the Orioles, he ended up back in the minor leagues and eventually played for two seasons in Japan. According to Baseball-Reference:

He returned in 1996 [to Japan] and became the 10th player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to hit a sayonara (walk-off) grand slam home run to win a game; he was the first gaijin to accomplish that.

Ironically, he never hit a grand slam in the MLB.

[Side note: Last year, I was taken to task by one of my readers for my use of the word "ironically" in the above. According to Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions of "irony" is as follows.

incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result

 I stand behind my use of the word.]

RHP Mark Melancon (30)
Drafted by the Yankees in the ninth round in 2006, Melancon came to Houston along with Jimmy Paredes in the Lance Berkman trade in July 2010. Melancon pitched in 91 games for Houston in 2010 and 2011, going 10-4 with a 2.85 ERA, a 1.211 WHIP and 20 saves. Melancon was traded to Boston in December 2011 for Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland and was subsequently traded to Pittsburgh in December 2012 where he has played for the last two seasons.

Happy Birthday - 3/27

Happy Birthday to ~

1B Felix Lucas (18)
Lucas was signed out of the Dominican Republic during the July 2013 international signing period. In his first professional season in the Dominican Summer League, he hit .144/.285/.242 with four doubles and three home runs in 39 games.

Happy Birthday - 3/26

No future Astros with birthdays, but two former Astros celebrate today ~

RHP Shane Reynolds (47)
Drafted by the Astros in the third round in 1989, Reynolds pitched for Houston from 1992 to 2002. He had a 103-86 record over 274 appearances (248 starts) with an ERA of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.292. His best season was 1998 when he went 19-8 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.329 WHIP. In 1999 he led the National League in SO/BB ratio and sacrifice hits, and was finally given an All-Star nod in 2000.

IF Jose Vizcaino (47)
Vizcaino played in 18 seasons for eight different teams, five of those for Houston from 2001 to 2005 where he batted .276/.316/.369 in 559 games. He led the National League in fielding percentage and assists by a shortstop in 1995 for the Mets. In 2000, he had the game-winning hit for the Yankees in Game 1 of the Subway World Series between the Yankees and the Mets. He is currently a Special Assistant for Player Personnel for the Dodgers.

Happy Birthday - 3/25

No future Astros with birthdays today, but one former Astro celebrates ~

RHP Mike Nagy (67)
Obtained in a trade from the Cardinals in December 1973, Nagy only pitched in nine games for Houston in 1974 at the end of his major league career with less than desirable results.  His best season was his rookie season in 1969, when he was 12-2 with a 3.11 ERA and a 1.469 WHIP in 33 appearances (28 starts) for Boston.  He was second only to Lou Pinella in AL Rookie of the Year voting that year.  According to Baseball-Reference:

After his stint in the US ended, Nagy starred in the Mexican League from 1976-1979. He led the Liga in ERA in 1978 and his 2.01 career ERA is the lowest in LMB history among hurlers with 500+ innings.

Happy Birthday - 3/24

No future Astros with birthdays today, but these former Astros mark the day ~

RHP Josh Zeid (28)
Drafted by the Phillies in the 10th round in 2009 from Tulane, Zeid came to Houston as part of the Hunter Pence trade in July 2011. In 48 games for the Astros from 2013 through 2014, Zeid had a 5.21 ERA and a 1.552 WHIP. Zeid was claimed by Detroit off waivers in November 2014.

OF Jesus Alou (73)
Alou originally came to Houston as a part of the Rusty Staub trade with the Expos in January of 1969 and spent 1969 through part of the 1973 season with Houston and returned to the team for the 1978 and 1979 seasons as well. In 553 games for Houston, he hit .282/.313/.366. He spent all or parts of 15 seasons in the major leagues playing for four different teams, including the 1973 and 1974 World Series champion Oakland teams. He is the brother of Felipe and Matty Alou and uncle to Moises Alou.

RHP Jose Cabrera (43)
Acquired in a trade with Cleveland in May 1997, Cabrera pitched in 93 games over four seasons for Houston with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.302 WHIP before being claimed off waivers by Atlanta in April of 2001. He had his most successful season in the majors for Atlanta that year, going 7-4 in 55 games with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.298 WHIP. After one final season in the majors with Milwaukee in 2002, he kept playing in the minors, in independent ball and in Mexico. He last played for Tobasco in the Mexican League in 2012 where, at age 40, he went 1-0 with 23 saves, a 1.14 ERA and a 0.663 WHIP in 30 games.

RHP Jose "Papa Grande" Valverde (37)
Acquired in a trade with Arizona for Chris Burke, Juan Gutierrez and Chad Qualls in December 2007, Valverde pitched for Houston for two seasons, going 10-5 with 69 saves, a 2.93 ERA and a 1.159 WHIP. A three-time All-Star for Arizona and Detroit, he was the league leader in saves three times as well. After four seasons with Detroit, he played with the Mets briefly in 2014 until his release in May.

Happy Birthday - 3/23

Happy Birthday to ~

SS/2B Chan Moon (24)
Signed as a NDFA from South Korea in 2009, Moon split his 2014 season between Quad Cities and Lancaster. In 127 games, he hit .286/.341/.398 with 18 doubles, 10 triples, six home runs, 60 RBI and 35 stolen bases.

Two former Astros also celebrate today ~

LHP Danny Coombs (73)
Signed as an amateur free agent by the Colt .45's prior to the 1963 season, Coombs spent parts of seven seasons playing for Houston. In 90 appearances, he was 8-7 with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.551 WHIP. His best season for Houston was 1968 when he went 4-3 in 40 appearances (2 starts) with a 3.28 ERA. In 1970 he was used primarily as a starter for the Padres, compiling a 10-14 record with a 3.30 ERA. 1971 was his final year in the major leagues.

1B Lee "Big Bopper" May (72)
According to Baseball-Reference, here is how May came to Houston and how he left Houston:

• November 29, 1971: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds with Tommy Helms and Jimmy Stewart to the Houston Astros for Ed Armbrister, Jack Billingham, Cesar Geronimo, Denis Menke and Joe Morgan.
• December 3, 1974: Traded by the Houston Astros with Jay Schlueter to the Baltimore Orioles for Rob Andrews and Enos Cabell.

In between, he played in 448 games for Houston, hitting .274/.317/.471 with 81 doubles, five triples and 81 home runs and one All-Star appearance. All told, May played in 2071 games over 18 seasons for four teams, hitting 354 home runs and making three All-Star appearances.

Happy Birthday - 3/22

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Ezequiel Madera (19)
An international free agent from the Dominican Republic, Madera got his first professional experience in the Dominican Summer League in 2014. In nine appearances (11 innings), he had a 7.36 ERA and a 1.455 WHIP.

Several former Astros have birthdays today as well ~

OF Dexter Fowler (29)
Originally drafted by the Rockies in the 14th round in 2004, Fowler came to Houston in the December 2013 trade that sent Brandon Barnes and Jordan Lyles to the Rockies. In 116 games for Houston in 2014, he hit .276/.375/.399 with 21 doubles, four triples and eight home runs. Fowler was traded to the Cubs in January 2015 for RHP Dan Straily and 3B Luis Valbuena.

3B Sean Berry (49)
Drafted by the Royals in the first round in 1986, Berry came to Houston in a trade with the Expos in 1995 and played for the Astros from 1996 through 1998. He hit .283/.342/.476 with 79 doubles, three triples and 38 home runs in 330 games. Berry served as hitting coach for the Astros from July of 2006 until July of 2010. Most recently, he has served as the minor league hitting coordinator for the Padres.

IF Billy Goodman (died October 1, 1984 at 58)
After having spent the majority of his playing days with Boston, as well as stints with the White Sox and Orioles, Goodman played in 82 games for the Colt .45's in 1962 at the end of his career. He hit .255/.306/.292, but his career line over 16 seasons was .300/.376/.378 in 1623 games. He was a two-time All-Star and led the American League in batting average in 1950 when he hit .354 over 110 games.

MGR Matt Galante (71)
Matt Galante managed the Astros for 27 games in 1999, going 13-14, as Larry Dierker recovered from brain surgery.

RHP Jeremy Griffiths (37)
Drafted by the Mets in the third round in 1999, Griffiths pitched in a total of 10 games in his major league career, one of those for the Astros in 2004. Griffiths came to Houston with David Weathers in the Mets trade for Richard Hidalgo in June 2004.

I would also like to wish Ryan Dunsmore, Crawfish Boxes contributor and photoshop king, a very happy birthday.

Happy Birthday - 3/21

Happy Birthday to ~

OF Andrew Aplin (24)
Drafted in the fifth round in 2012 out of Arizona State, Aplin spent the majority of his 2014 season with Corpus Christi, earning a promotion to Oklahoma City on August 1st. In the two venues combined, he hit .265/.372/.345 in 126 games.

These former Astros mark the day as well ~

1B Prentice Almont "Pidge" Browne (died June 3, 1997 at 68)
Browne played in 65 games for the Colt 45's in 1962, a rookie at 33. According to Baseball-Reference:

Pidge Browne was a long time minor league star who at the age of 33 finally got a shot at the major leagues with the expansion Houston Colt .45's in 1962 ... He was the Texas League home run champion in 1955 when he hit 33 home runs for Shreveport. He later became a fan favorite playing for the Houston minor league team in the late 1950s. 

He hit .210/.298/.320 with four doubles, two triples and a home run for Houston that season and never played in the major leagues again.

OF Tommy Davis (76)
Davis came to Houston in a trade with the Seattle Pilots in August of 1969 and played for Houston for parts of the 1969 and 1970 seasons, hitting .271/.308/.377 over 81 games. Davis spent parts of 18 seasons in the major leagues, playing 1999 games for 10 teams and earning All-Star nods and National League batting titles in 1962 and 1963.

Happy Birthday - 3/20

No future Astros with birthdays today, but these former Astros celebrate the day ~

RHP Jim Golden (79)
Obtained by Houston from the Dodgers in the 1961 expansion draft, Golden pitched for the Colt .45's for two seasons before being included in a trade to the White Sox in 1963 for Nellie Fox. He was 7-12 for Houston with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.428 WHIP in 40 appearances (19 starts).

OF Rick Parker (52)
Drafted by the Phillies in the 16th round in 1985 out of the University of Texas, Parker was signed by Houston as a free agent in January of 1992 and spent one season with the Astros. In 49 plate appearances over 45 games, he hit a solid .333/.375/.400.

RHP Blas Minor (49)
Minor was drafted three times before he finally signed with Pittsburgh on the fourth try as a sixth round pick in 1988. His best season was for the Mets in 1995 when he went 4-2 with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.221 WHIP.  Having signed with Houston as a free agent in November of 1996, Minor pitched in only 12 innings for the Astros in 1997 with a 1-0 record, a 4.50 ERA and a 1.500 WHIP.

LHP Wilfredo Rodriguez (36)
A non-drafted free agent first signed by Houston in 1995 out of Venezuela, Rodriguez's whole major league career consists of  three innings pitched over two games in 2001 with an ERA of 15.00 and a WHIP of 2.333. In eight seasons of minor league and independent ball, he had a 4.17 ERA and a 1.384 WHIP.  He was named as a #25 prospect by Baseball America before the 2000 season and a #57 prospect by Baseball America before the 2001 season.

I would also like to wish Kevin Goldstein, Director of Pro Scouting for the Astros, a very Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday - 3/19

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

UT Matt Downs (31)
Originally drafted by the Giants in the 36th round in 2006 out of the University of Alabama, Downs became an Astro after being claimed off waivers in August of 2010. In three seasons with the Astros, he hit .235/.298/.432 in 208 games and played at 2B, 3B, 1B, RF, SS and LF. He was also the emergency catcher but was never called upon in that capacity.

3B/2B Jose Castillo (34)
Claimed off waivers from the Giants in 2008, Castillo played in 15 games for Houston that year, hitting .281/.314/.313. In 2014, he played in the Mexican League.

UT Chuck Jackson (52)
Drafted by Houston in the seventh round in 1984, Jackson played in 81 games for Houston in 1987 and 1988, hitting .218/.281/.321. In 12 seasons in the minors, he hit .288/.369/.426.

Happy Birthday - 3/18

No future Astros with birthdays today, but one former Astro celebrates ~

RHP Brian Fisher (53)
Originally drafted by Atlanta in the second round in 1980, Fisher signed with Houston as a free agent in February 1990 and pitched in only four games (five total innings) for the Astros that season. His best season was his rookie season for the Yankees in 1985 when he was 4-4 with an ERA of 2.38 and a WHIP of 1.078 over 55 games.

Happy Birthday - 3/17

No future Astros with birthdays today, but one former Astro celebrates ~

C Raul Chavez (42)
Chavez, a native of Venezuela, was originally signed as a NDFA by Houston in 1990 and was traded to the Expos along with Dave Veres for Sean Berry in 1995. Signing with Houston in 2000 as a free agent, he played in 136 games in 2000 and 2002 through 2005 as a back-up catcher. His regular season stats were nothing to write home about, but he did go 4 for 9 with a home run and two RBI's in the NLDS and NLCS in 2004. He also boasts a 41% career caught stealing percentage in the major leagues and a 44% career caught stealing in the minor leagues.

Happy Birthday - 3/16

Happy Birthday to ~

LHP Reymin Guduan (23)
An international free agent from the Dominican Republic, Guduan has played in the Astros system for five seasons. For the Greeneville team in 2014, Guduan was 2-5 with a 4.47 ERA and a 1.805 WHIP in 13 games (nine starts). He struck out 58 batters in 44.1 innings.

One former Astro celebrates today as well ~

RHP Mickey Storey (29)
Originally signed by Oakland in the 31st round in 2008, Storey came to the Astros organization in a trade with Oakland for "future considerations" in July 2011 and made his major league debut in Houston on August 3, 2012. In 26 games, he had a 3.86 ERA and a 1.220 WHIP. He played with the Blue Jays organization in 2014.

Happy Birthday - 3/15

Happy Birthday to ~

C Max Stassi (24)
Originally drafted by Oakland in the fourth round in 2009, Stassi came to Houston as a part of the February 2013 trade that sent Jed Lowrie and Fernando Rodriguez to the Athletics. Stassi played all season for AAA Oklahoma City until after the minor league season ended, at which time he was recalled to Houston. In 101 games for OKC, he hit .247/.296/.378 with 20 doubles, two triples and nine home runs. In 72 games as catcher, he posted a 26% caught stealing rate. In Houston, he appeared in only seven games, hitting .350/.350/.450 in 20 plate appearances.

OF Jose Solano (23)
Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic, Solano has now played in the system for five seasons. In 2014, he appeared in 56 games for Tri-City, hitting .241/.267/.352.

One former Astro celebrates a birthday today as well ~

RHP Wayne Granger (71)
Granger came to Houston as a free agent in February 1975 and appeared in 55 games for the Astros that season, going 2-5 with a 3.65 ERA and a 1.338 WHIP. He led the National League in saves in 1970 for the Reds and was named the NL Reliever of the Year in 1969 and 1970.

Happy Birthday - 3/14

Happy Birthday to ~

SS Marwin Gonzalez (26)
Gonzalez was drafted from the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft in December 2011 by the Red Sox and then quickly traded to the Astros for Rule 5 pick RHP Marco Duarte. In 104 games for Houston in 2014, he hit .277/.327/.400.

Two former Astros celebrate birthdays today as well ~

3B/OF Ty (sometimes Tye) Waller (58)
A fourth round pick by the Cardinals in 1977, Waller came to Houston as a free agent in December 1983 and played in 11 games for the Astros in 1987 with uninspiring results. His best season in the majors was for the Chicago Cubs in 1981 when he hit .268/.303/.451 over 30 games. Waller is currently the first base coach for the Oakland A's.

2B Matt Kata (37)
Originally drafted by Arizona in the ninth round in 1999, Kata signed with Houston as a free agent in December 2008. In 40 games for the Astros (52 plate appearances) in 2009, he hit .200/.212/.220.

Happy Birthday - 3/13

Happy Birthday to ~

RHP Abdiel Saldana (19)
An international free agent out of Panama, Saldana spent his first professional season pitching for the Dominican Summer League Astros. In 5 games (four starts), he was 4-1 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.228 WHIP. He walked 15 and struck out 44 in 49.2 innings.

One former Astro celebrates the day as well ~

LHP Tom Funk (53)
Drafted by Houston in the 28th round in 1983, Funk pitched in eight games for the Astros in 1986 with a 6.48 ERA and a 1.920 WHIP. In six minor league seasons, he was 37-18 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.280 WHIP.