Houston Astros induct 6 new members to club’s Hall of Fame

The Astros inducted six former employees into their Hall of Fame on Saturday, here they are:

During FanFest in January of 2020, the Houston Astros announced the six newest inductees to the Astros Hall of Fame. The class features Lance Berkman, Cesar Cedeno, Billy Wagner, Bob Watson, Roy Hofheinz and Roy Oswalt.

They will join the likes of Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Noland Ryan and others, who were the first class inducted in 2019. The Hall of Fame located in the former Home Run Alley area of Minute Maid Park, renamed to Hall of Fame Alley. Due to COVID-19, the on-field induction and celebration was pushed back a year to this past Saturday. You can watch the full induction ceremony on the team’s YouTube page.

Starting with Lance Berkman, here is a career highlight of each inductee, and a little background on why they now get to don the orange jacket.

Lance Berkman

Career Astros Statistics

• Seasons Played: 12 (1999-2010)
• Primary Position(s) Played: OF/1B
• Career Position Player WAR: 48.1 (Ranked 5th in Astros history)
• Batting Average: .296 (Ranked 5th in Astros history)
• Homeruns: 326 (Ranked 2nd in Astros history)
• RBIs: 1090 (Ranked 3rd in Astros history)
• On-base %: .410 (Ranked 1st in Astros history)
• OPS: .959 (Ranked 2nd in Astros history)

(Per Baseball Reference)

Lance Berkman, playfully dubbed “Big Puma”, will always be remembered as one of the top offensive players in the history of the team. The Rice graduate was drafted in 1997, making his major league debut in 1999.

Berkman was a welcomed addition to franchise’s core of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, which would be known as the feared “Killer B’s” during the early 2000’s. During his Houston career, Berkman made five All-Star games and finished in the top three of the MVP race twice. He still owns the franchise single season record for runs-batted-in with 126 (’06) and extra-base hits with ninety-four (’01).

Cesar Cedeno

Career Astros Statistics

• Seasons Played: 12 (1970-1981)
• Primary Position(s) Played: CF
• Career Position Player WAR: 49.6 (Ranked 4th in Astros history)
• Batting Average: .289 (Ranked 10th in Astros history)
• Homeruns: 163 (Ranked 7th in Astros history)
• RBIs: 778 (Ranked 6th in Astros history)
• Stolen Bases: 487 (Ranked 1st in Astros history)

(Per Baseball Reference)

Cesar Cedeno was signed as an amateur free agent by Houston at the age of 17, and debuted with the major league team at the age of nineteen. He was an instant five-tool talent, batting .310 in his rookie season. He would lead the major league in doubles in the two seasons following.

Cedeno’s speed was one of his most effective tools, stealing a single-season, career-high sixty-one stolen bases in 1977. His career 487 stolen bases still ranks first all-time with the team. Cedeno might have have finished his career being one of the greatest players to ever suit up for the organization. However, a major off-field issue in 1973 seemed to detract from his performance on the team in the years to follow. Regardless, as a member of the franchise, Cedeno finished top four in Rookie of the Year voting in 1970, won five Gold Gloves, and appeared in the All-Star Game four times.

Bob Watson

Career Astros Statistics

• Seasons Played: 14 (1966-1979)
• Primary Position(s) Played: 1B/LF
• Career Position Player WAR: 23.6 (Ranked 14th in Astros history)
• Batting Average: .297 (Ranked 3rd in Astros history)
• Homeruns: 138 (Ranked 9th in Astros history)
• RBIs: 782 (Ranked 5th in Astros history)
• Hits: 1448 (Ranked 7th in Astros history)

(Per Baseball Reference)

Bob Watson was a baseball man through and through. He spent nineteen years playing the game of baseball, four years managing, and served as a MLB executive for thirteen years. Watson was noted for his punishing swing. His homerun numbers, like others from the same era, where dampened by a majority of his career being played in the Astrodome.

Watson still put up some great career numbers with the franchise, batting .297 with 139 homers and 782 runs batted in as a two time All-Star. After retirement, Bob Watson became the first African-American General Manager in MLB history when he served said position with Houston in 1993. Bob Watson passed away in 2020.

Roy Hofheinz

• Founder and Former Owner (1962-1976)

There would be no franchise without Roy Hofheinz. Roy Hofheinz, also referred to as “The Judge,” grew up in Beaumont, Texas and graduated from University of Houston Law School in . From there, he would begin a long career of Texas politics. Hofheinz served as a Texas state representative, Harris County Judge and eventually Mayor of Houston. Hofheinz would later join a group of Houston businessmen with the intentions of bringing baseball to Houston.

It wasn’t until 1960 that the National League granted an expansion franchise to Hofheinz’s group, allowing the Houston Colt 45’s to begin play in the 1962 season. Interestingly, the Houston Colt .45s beat the Chicago Cubs 11-2 in their ’62 debut on the 50th birthday of “The Judge”. Additionally, Hofheinz was instrumental in the project to construct the “8th Wonder of the World”, the Astrodome. Roy Hofheinz passed away 1982 after continuing his legacy of bringing massive entertainment projects to Houston, following his success of bringing Houston it’s first franchise.

Roy Oswalt

Career Astros Statistics

• • Seasons Played: 9 (1995-2003)
  • Primary Position(s) Played: RHP
  • Career Pitcher WAR: 45.7 (Ranked 1st in Astros history)
  • Earned Run Average: 3.24 (Ranked 12th in Astros history)
  • Strikeouts: 1593 (Ranked 2nd in Astros history)
  • Wins: 143 (Ranked 2nd in Astros history)
  • Win-Loss %: .636 (Ranked 3rd in Astros history)

(Per Baseball Reference)

Houston has had many prolific starting pitchers play with the team over the years. However, no single pitcher has put together a resume with the club quite like Roy Oswalt has. Oswalt was drafted out of high school in the 23rd round of the 1996 MLB Draft.

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Oswalt spent some years in the minor leagues before making a name with himself by being selected as a starting pitcher for the Team USA during the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, where the USA would capture the Gold in the games. Roy was quick to show off his electric fastball and knee-buckling curveball when he made his major league debut in 2001.

Oswalt ended that rookie season with a 14–3 record with a 2.73 ERA across his 20 starts with the franchise. He finished second in voting for NL Rookie of the Year that same season, only losing out to Albert Pujols. Roy Oswalt would go on to play 9 more seasons, during which he was selected three All-Star games and finished in the top five in Cy Young voting in five seasons.

Fans will never forget Oswalt’s post-season performances in 2005. Oswalt went 3–0 in four games. His two seven-inning one-run performances won him the NLCS MVP award, including a three-hit seven strikeout NLCS Game 6 against the St Louis Cardinals that sent the organization to their first World Series in club history.