Astros Retrospective: 1980s

Astros By Decade

1980-1989

Rainbow Uniforms (1980-1986)

Rainbow Sleeve Uniforms (1987-1989)

Now we're talking, this is the team I grew up watching.  The 1980s were the first decade of significant success for the Astros.  They made the playoffs three times, in a decade of amazing parity in all of baseball.  They spent the majority of the first half of the decade in the top half of the league, then started a downturn that lasted into the 1990s. 

As usual, the calling card of the Astros was dominant pitching.  Mike Scott, brought over from the Mets, turned into one of the best pitchers in the league in the middle of the decade.  Nolan Ryan, the first million dollar man, came home and did not disappoint.  Well, maybe his records did, but that was because for some reason they had him on a strict pitch count limit and the bullpen often dropped games for him or the offense did not do enough to back up his effort. 

The Astros made the playoffs for the first time in 1980.  They tied for first place in the National League West, and beat the Dodgers in a one-game playoff to face the Phillies in the NLCS.  The Astros went up 2-1 in the series, and had a 2-0 lead in game four before giving up three runs in the top of the eighth.  They tied it with a run in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings, in which they promptly gave up two runs to lose it.  Game five in Houston looked like another win as they had a 5-2 lead going into the eighth.  Once again the bullpen failed, giving up five runs.  The Astros again tied it with two in the bottom of the inning, and eventually lost in the tenth.  All of this may have been avoided if not for the devastating loss of J.R. Richard.  While throwing before the game on July 30, he collapsed on the field from a stroke.  He would never pitch again.  After losing in the League Championship Series for the second time in seven seasons in 1986, it would take another ten years for the Astros to return to the postseason with the new crop of talent.

Record:  819-750, .522

Best Year:  1986 (96-66, 1st of 6, reached NLCS)

            Honestly it's a toss-up between 1986 and 1980, the first year the Astros made the playoffs.  I give 1986 the edge because they had a better record and they took the World Series winning Mets to the brink, and probably should have won.  Overall it was probably a better team, though maybe not if Richard had played the rest of '80.

Worst Year:  1982 (77-85, 5th of 6)

Team of the Decade:

C:  Alan Ashby (1980-1989)  The starting or co-starting catcher for basically the entire decade.  His best full season was 1987, when he hit 14 home runs with a .288/.367/.438 slash line.  From all accounts he was also quite good behind the plate.

1B:  Glenn Davis (1984-1989)  The "Big Bopper," probably the Astros' best first baseman until a certain future Hall of Famer showed up.  Had three years of 30+ home runs in the 1980s playing half his games in the Astrodome, not an easy feat.

2B:  Bill Doran (1982-1989)  The starter for most of the decade, and the first constant at the position since Joe Morgan.  Received MVP votes three years in a row, and always had a good BB/SO ratio.

3B:  Phil Garner (1983-1987)  "Scrap Iron" was a tough player who found himself on a number of good teams throughout the years.  He sported one of the great mustaches in Astros history.  Unfortunately his success did not pan out in the dugout.

SS:  Dickie Thon (1981-1987)  One of the great "what if" stories in baseball history, his 1983 season showed just how good he could have been.  A beaning in April 1984 forever changed his career.

LF:  Jose Cruz (1980-1988)  Ask any Astros fan from the 1980s, and one of their fondest memories has to be "CRUUUUUZ" being yelled in the Astrodome, making him one of the most beloved players in franchise history.  He had a tendency to wear his cap loose on the top of his head so it always flew off when he raced down flyballs.  He has been featured a number of times in lists of "could have been Hall of Famers if" he hadn't played in the Astrodome.

CF:  Billy Hatcher (1986-1989)  It always surprises me how short he actually played for the Astros, because it seemed like he was always on the team when I was growing up.  He was the center of a solid outfield in the last half of the decade.

RF:  Terry Puhl (1980-1989)  Superb defender who transitioned from the everyday right fielder in the first half of the decade to the fourth outfielder in the second half when Kevin Bass took over.  He was never a great hitter, but he was good enough to stick around for 15 years.  He also was the first Canadian that I was aware of in the Major Leagues, so there's that.

SP:  Mike Scott (1983-1989)  His 1986 to 1989 stretch is one of the best four years for an Astros starter ever.  Of course the highlight was the no-hitter to clinch the 1986 West Division.  Unfortunately he was only able to make two starts in the playoffs, which cost them a spot in the World Series.

SP:  Nolan Ryan (1980-1988)  The man in Houston for a decade, the most beloved Texan for a generation of baseball fans.  He twice led the league in ERA, once with an 11-5 record, once with an 8-16 record.  This highlights the stupidity of the front office's strict pitch count limit.  People who deride his won-lost record A.) put too much stock in that stat, B.) do not talk about the pitch count, and C.) do not talk about how he pitched for some pretty mediocre teams for his entire career.

SP:  Bob Knepper (1981-1988)  Had three solid years from 1984 to 1986, then a steep decline.  He helped to make that mid-80s rotation probably the best in franchise history.

SP:  Joe Niekro (1980-1985)  The "other" Niekro averaged 16 wins between 1982 and 1984.  He was a relief pitcher for much of the early part of his career and did not become a full member of the rotation until joining Houston, where he proved very durable.

SP:  Jim Deshaies (1986-1989)  Never a great pitcher, he did win 49 games over these four years in Houston.  Perhaps now better known as a broadcaster who likes to come up with odd lineups (a.k.a. the "All Love" Valentine's lineup).  My favorite story was when the Astros were playing the Reds with an outfield of Dmitri Young, Mike Frank, and Chris Stynes; he noted they had a Young Frank 'n' Stynes outfield.  Unfortunately it seems the uptight Cubs fans have not taken to him as much as Astros fans did.

CL:  Dave Smith (1980-1989)  The Astros' first true ace closer, he had some very good seasons in the middle of the 80s.

Notable Performances:

Dickie Thon 1983: .286/.341/.457, 20 HR, 79 RBIs, 28 2Bs, 34 SBs, 127 OPS+

Jose Cruz 1983: .318/.385/.463, 14 HR, 92 RBIs, 28 2Bs, 30 SBs, 142 OPS+

Kevin Bass 1986:  .311/.357/.486, 20 HR, 79 RBIs, 33 2Bs, 22 SBs, 134 OPS+

Glenn Davis 1989:  .269/.350/.492, 34 HR, 89 RBIs, 26 2Bs, 142 OPS+

Mike Scott 1986:  18-10, 2.22 ERA, 0.92 WHIP,  7 CG, 275 IP, 306 K, 161 ERA+

Nolan Ryan 1981:  11-5, 1.69 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 5 CG, 149 IP, 140 K, 195 ERA+

Joe Niekro 1982: 17-12, 2.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 16 CG, 270 IP, 130 K, 135 ERA+

Dave Smith 1987:  2-3-24, 1.65 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 60 IP, 73 K, 239 ERA+

Best Trade:

Danny Heep to the Mets for Mike Scott (December 10, 1982)

            They got an ace, and gave up a fourth outfielder.  This is one of a number of good trades during the decade, including those for Bob Knepper and Mark Portugal.

Worst Trade:

Joaquin Andujar to the Cardinals for Tony Scott (June 7, 1981)

            Andujar went from a long relief/spot starter for the Astros to having three very good years out of four plus for the Cardinals.  It would be interesting to see his 1984/1985 added to the Scott/Ryan/Knepper/Niekro pitching rotation.  After the half year in '81, Scott was a well below average center fielder for a full season in '82 and partial seasons the next two years.  The good news is, this was the only really bad trade of the decade, reversing the trend of the previous two.

Best Draft:

1987

            1st round (22nd overall) Craig Biggio

            2nd round (54th overall) Randy Hennis - two picks later Pete Schourek

            12th round (313th overall) Andy Mota - eleven picks later Steve Finley

            16th round (417th overall) Al Osuna

            30th round (781st overall) Darryl Kile

            34th round (883rd overall) Scott Erickson - did not sign

By far the best draft to date, and it would have been even with just Biggio.  Kile made it two All Star players in one draft...29 rounds apart!  The next year wasn't too bad either, getting Scott Servais in the 3rd  round and Luis Gonzalez in the 4th round, plus Dave Silvestri late in the 2nd round, whom they later sent to the Yankees for Orlando Miller, whom they later packaged in the deal to the Tigers that netted Brad Ausmus, Jose Lima, Daryle Ward, and others.  That being said, they completely whiffed with their first two picks (Willie Ansley, one pick before Jim Abbot and three before Robin Ventura; and Mica Lewis).  Oh yes, and they also took Kenny Lofton in the 17th round, which would have put the 1988 draft over the top if they hadn't traded him away in a stupid deal a few years later.

Worst Draft:

1981

           

Not one pick made the bigs.