NY author causes stir with Houston Astros book, but it's not about “that”
BEST OF THE BEST
28 February 2024
While the Astros are in Florida preparing for another deep playoff run in 2024, a new book about the club is set to drop on March 5. The book is written by New York author Robert W. Cohen and is titled, The 50 Greatest Players in Houston Astros History.
With a title like that, we know not everyone is going to be pleased with the list. And the book hasn't even been officially released yet.
However, the list has been leaked and Astros fans have thoughts, as one would expect. So let's start with Jose Altuve's placement on the list. Many believe Altuve is already the best Astro ever, based on all the incredible playoff moments he's provided during the greatest stretch of baseball in franchise history. That, along with two championships, has many believing he's a no-brainer to come in at No.1.
To the dismay of many Houston fans, Altuve is ranked 3rd behind Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio respectively. The rest of the top five includes No.4 Lance Berkman, and No.5 Roy Oswalt.
Some other points of contention on the list include Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan at No.16 and future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander at No.17.
Upon further review of these rankings, the picture is becoming very clear. This list was put together with a focus on total resumes with the Astros.
With that being the measuring stick, Altuve coming in behind Bagwell and Biggio makes sense. They're already in the Hall of Fame and have had more regular-season success than Altuve.
We expect Altuve to finish his career as the best Astro ever, but according to the criteria, he still has work to do. Altuve is 1,013 hits behind Biggio, and his career OPS (.834) is much lower than Bagwell's (.948).
The argument for Altuve has always been about being clutch in the postseason. Altuve already has the second-most postseason home runs (27) in MLB history, behind only Manny Ramirez (29).
Be sure to watch the video above as we address the debate over Altuve's ranking and many other surprising placements on the list.
Teaser: Does Yordan Alvarez crack the Top 20? Mash the video above to find out!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan every Monday on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel.
We'll continue to drop videos throughout the week!
Joc Pederson broke a tie with a two-run home run in the sixth inning, Wyatt Langford hit a solo shot in a two-run seventh and the Texas Rangers beat the Houston Astros 5-1 on Saturday night.
Tyler Mahle (5-1) allowed the one run over six innings, keeping his ERA at 1.47 — ranking third in the AL.
The Rangers have taken two of the first three games of the four-game series.
Pederson, hitting .123 with four RBI to that point as Texas’ primary DH this season, followed Marcus Semien’s one-out single off Ronel Blanco (3-4) with a drive to right-center for his second homer of the season.
Langford’s homer off Bennett Sousa immediately followed Josh Smith’s sacrifice fly that scored Sam Haggerty. Haggerty led off with a walk and was picked off first base, but he reached third when first baseman Christian Walker threw low to second base.
The Astros took a 1-0 lead four batters in when Walker hit a 3-2 fastball for an opposite-field double to score Isaac Paredes.
Texas tied it in the third when Langford singled home Kyle Higashioka, who walked and reached third on Haggerty’s ground-rule double.
The Astros left seven runners on base and were 0 for 4 hitting with runners in scoring position.
Key moment
Haggerty was a late replacement in Texas’ lineup after Evan Carter was scratched with right quadriceps tightness.
Key stat
Three Rangers starters rank in the AL’s 10 top in ERA, Mahle joined by Nathan Eovaldi (fourth at 1.51) and Jacob deGrom (10th at 2.29).
Up next
Astros LHP Framber Valdez (2-4, 3.54 ERA) was set to face Rangers rookie RHP Jack Leiter (3-2, 4.34) on Sunday in the series finale.
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