Houston Astros’ All-Time Best Seasons: Left Field

Bob Watson had one of his finer years with the Houston Astros during the 1973 season. While there were a couple which were overall better, 1973 was his best year as a left fielder. As a 6’0″ 27-year-old, Watson played in an all-star game during this season. He did what he could on a team that finished 82-80. Though he did fall short of 100 RBI, I take strong consideration for what he accomplished with the Astrodome as his home ballpark.

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Overall Bob had a slash-line of .312/.405/449 which B-R has adjusted to an OPS+ of 137. Surprisingly, Watson did manage to hit more home runs at home (10) than on the road (6). Bob Watson played 14 seasons with the Astros prior to being traded to the Red Sox during the 1979 season. He went on to play with the Yankees and Braves prior to retiring.

His path in baseball did not end there. Eventually he would become the first African-American General Manager with the Astros in 1993. In three short years, with the New York Yankees, he became the first black GM to win a World Series. Note: Watson has made an appearance in this series so far at first base; I feel that his ’73 season was worthy of an appearance in this list as he played as a left fielder the majority of this season.

Next: 1993: Luis Gonzalez