Astros’ All-Time Best Seasons: Catcher

Aug 24, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder

(24) scores under the tag of Houston Astros catcher

(22) during the third inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

This is the 1st article in a series we at Climbing Tal’s Hill are doing for “Astros’ All-Time Best Seasons.”

Have you ever thought about the All-Time Best Seasons for a Houston Astros catcher? Honestly, before researching this, I had not. Catcher, in my opinion, is the least sexy position on the baseball diamond. It rarely gets any love. Just look at the Baseball Hall of Fame: out of 306 elected members, only 16 are catchers. Also, think about batting orders: most catchers seem relegated to the 8th or 9th spot. There’s a lot of brains, but not a lot of good batting.

In the Houston Astros’ history, most people think of Biggio, Ashby, and Ausmus as the “nameable” catchers. But during the franchise’s 53 year life-span, there have actually been 23 different “starting” catchers. Out of the 53 seasons, this list was whittled down to 5.

After reviewing the candidates, be sure to vote at the end of the article.

Next: 1966: John Bateman

Aug 16, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; General view of the exterior of NRG Stadium (left) and Houston Astrodome before the NFL game between the Atlanta Falcons against the Houston Texans. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

1966: John Bateman

In 1966, in only their second season as the “Houston Astros”, the franchise finally got over the 70-win mark (72-90). The team had players like franchise legend Jimmy Wynn in CF and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan at 2B. On the mound, Houston icon Larry Dierker was pitching in his second full season. And behind the dish was a man people rarely talk about today: John Bateman.

John Bateman was signed by the Colt .45’s in 1962 and made his first appearance in 1963. During his first 3 seasons, he struggled mightily, batting .202/.250/.331 with 22 total HRs. But everything came together for him in 1966, in 121 games behind the plate (from Baseball Reference):

• .279 BA/.315 OBP/.467 SLG/.781 OPS
• 121 hits
• 39 runs
• 24 doubles
• 3 triples
• 17 HRs
• 70 RBI
• 20 walks
• 2.3 WAR

That season was Bateman’s best. He set career marks in doubles, HRs, RBIs, batting average, OBP, SLG, OPS, and WAR. He also holds the franchise record for Most Homeruns by a Catcher in a Season with 16 (as reported by the Astros).

John Bateman would play two more seasons for Houston before getting drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 1968 Expansion Draft.

Did you know?: John Bateman passed away back in 1996. However, a man named Ken Webster was a huge fan of Bateman’s, and has started a Twitter account in the player’s name.

Next: 1977: Joe Ferguson

Apr 16, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; A baseball rests in the pocket of a catcher

1977: Joe Ferguson

Joe Ferguson, a talented player who spent considerable time in the outfield during his MLB career, only played a season and a half for the Houston Astros from 1977-1978. He was acquired by the team from the St. Louis Cardinals in trade that involved Larry Dierker.

During the 1977 season, Ferguson played in 122 games for Houston behind the plate. The team went 81-81, though it wasn’t due to Ferguson’s efforts. His stats from that season (from Baseball Reference):

• .257 BA/.379 OBP/.435 SLG/.814 OPS
• 108 hits
• 59 runs
• 21 doubles
• 3 triples
• 16 HRs
• 61 RBI
• 85 walks
• 6 stolen bases
• 4.7 WAR

Ferguson posted the highest WAR in a single season for an Astros catcher. He also led the team in walks and was tied for third in home runs. The following year, in July 1978, Ferguson was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for players to be named later, which came to be Rafael Landestoy and Jeffrey Leonard.

Joe Ferguson made a name for himself a few years earlier when he made what some consider to be the best throw out in World Series history.

Next: 1987: Alan Ashby

Apr 12, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Alan Ashby attends the MLB game between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

1987: Alan Ashby

The 1987 was a pretty bad season for the Houston Astros. They could not reproduce the success from 1986 and finished with a 76-86 record, for third place in the National League West.

Alan Ashby, however, did his part swinging a bat. In 125 games wearing the mask, his stats (from Baseball Reference):

• .288 BA/.367 OBP/.438 SLG/ .805 OPS
• 111 hits
• 53 runs
• 16 doubles
• 14 HRs
• 63 RBI
• 50 walks
• 2.4 WAR

Here’s the remarkable thing about Ashby’s season: he set career bests in batting average, on-base percentage, hits, home runs, runs batted in, and WAR. And he did this at age 35.

Alan Ashby’s best year also coincided with the Astros drafting some kid out Seton Hall who would go on to replace him in just a couple of seasons. Ashby went on to a near 50-50 split in 1988 with Alex Trevino, and he retired in 1989, appearing in only 22 games in his final season.

Next: 1991: Craig Biggio

1991: Craig Biggio

Apr 1, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros former player Craig Biggio waves to the crowd before a game against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

In 1987, Craig Biggio was the Houston Astros’ first round draft pick out of Seton Hall and made his MLB debut in 1988. By 1989, he was the full-time backstop, beating out Alan Ashby and Alex Trevino.  The guy must’ve been pretty good.

Showing continual improvement at the plate every year, Biggio had his best year as a catcher in 1991, starting in 131 games behind the plate (stats from Baseball Reference):

• .295 BA/.358 OBP/.374 SLG/.731 OPS
• 161 hits
• 23 doubles
• 4 triples
• 4 HRs
• 46 RBI
• 53 walks
• 19 stolen bases
• 4.4 WAR

Craig Biggio’s WAR is the 2nd highest for an Astros catcher. Biggio earned his first All-Star appearance in 1991. It was also the last year for Mr. Astro behind the dish, though he caught for 2 innings in his farewell season.

He moved to second base in 1992, teaming up with Jeff Bagwell during one of the most memorable decades in franchise history. And he was just getting started.

Next: 2013: Jason Castro

There were a few other seasons that were in the running.

Here are some Honorable Mentions:

• 1974 – Milt May: .289/.349/.402/.751; 117 hits, 4 triples, 54 RBI, 3.0 WAR
• 1995 – Tony Eusebio: .299/.354/.410/.764; 110 hits, 21 doubles, 58 RBI, 1.9 WAR
• 1997 – Brad Ausmus: .266/.326/.358/.684; 113 hits, 25 doubles, 14 stolen bases, 2.3 WAR
• 2000- Mitch Meluskey: .300 BA/.401 OBP/.487 SLG/.888 OPS; 101 hits, 21 doubles, 14 HRs, 69 RBI, 1.9 WAR
  

Ok, so now is your time to vote. We will post the results in an upcoming “All-Time Best Seasons: Team” article.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Who would you add? Who would you take away?

If you don’t comment, I’ll assume you accept my opinions without hesitation on this matter.

Next: What the Astros Can Learn from Jeff Bagwell