Houston Astros: CTH’s Top-25 Astros All-Time Hitters

4th All-Time Astros Hitter

#4: Cesar Cedeno

Cedeno joined the Astros in 1970 at 19 and stuck with the club until 1981, his age 30 season. He is 4^th all-time in career Astros WAR with 49.6 and was 4^th place in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 1970. He was both an All-Star and an NL MVP finalist in 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1976, with an additional MVP finalist finish in 1980. He won four consecutive Gold Gloves from 1972 to 1976.

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He is 4^th all-time in Astros at-bats (5,732), runs scored (890), hits (1,659), singles (1,098), doubles (343), and extra-base hits (561). He is 5^th all-time in Astros total bases (2,601), triples (55), and runs created (931). He is 6^th all-time in Astros games played (1,512), home runs (163), RBIs (778), and HBP (45). He is also 8^th all-time in Astros walks with 534, and is 9^th all-time in Astros batting average with .289.

Cedeno was known for his speed, as is 1^st all-time in Astros stolen bases with 487. Conversely, he has been caught stealing 149 times, more than anyone else in Astros history. He produced seven years of over 45 stolen bases, highlighted by his career-high 61 in 1977. He also led the league in doubles in 1971 and 1972. He is currently bestowing his wisdom upon the Greenville Astros, where he is the hitting coach.

Cesar Cedeno was a phenom for the Astros. ESPN even mentioned him in the same breath as Mike Trout. But many wondered how phenomenal his career could have turned out if an offseason involuntary manslaughter incident had not occurred in 1973. Cedeno is our 4^th greatest Astros hitter of all-time, but many Astros fans believe that he had the potential to be number one.

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