Astros’ All-Time Lineup in Terms of Career-bWAR

The Astros’ all-time lineup by bWAR includes present day All-Star players.

BaseballCloud has recently posted all-time Major League Baseball lineups on their social media in terms of Wins Above Replacement by Baseball Reference. On Sunday, they filtered through the Houston Astros‘ all-time lineup by bWAR in more than 40 percent played games at nine offensive positions.

WAR is calculated differently by outlet, but by way of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, their calculations are the most used. They show some differences in total value but aren’t too far off from one another in calculation of the product.

Catcher: Jason Castro (10.0 bWAR)

Jason Castro embarked on his seventh season with the Astros in 2021, after signing a two-year deal to return to the ball club last offseason. Castro hadn’t played for Houston since 2016, while a catcher like Brad Ausmus (5.0 WAR over 10 seasons) trails him.

First Base: Jeff Bagwell (79.7 bWAR)

While a Hall of Famer first baseman, it made the most sense that Jeff Bagwell has accumulated the most bWAR in his career at the position. The right-hander also holds the franchise record for career home runs with 449. Bagwell led all major-league first basemen in bWAR from 1991-2000 with 62.3 (minimum 50% games played at first base).

Second Base: Craig Biggio (65.4)

While another Hall of Famer, Craig Biggio is anticipated to be the bWAR leader for Astros’ second baseman, not catcher or in the outfield. But through 10 seasons thus far, the Astros’ current second baseman, Jose Altuve, is at 41.4 bWAR.

The 31-year-old is on pace to pass Biggio and have the highest Astros’ bWAR by the time he retires. Biggio led had the highest bWAR of any second baseman from 1991-2000 with 51.7 (minimum 50% games played at second base).

Third Base: Alex Bregman (26.1)

Alex Bregman has played only six seasons thus far in his career and already leads all Astros’ third baseman in career bWAR. The 27-year-old can thank his 2018 and 2019 All-Star performances for most of his bWAR value, while third basemen like Ken Caminiti and Morgan Ensburg didn’t play long enough for the franchise to accumulate more value at the position, respectively.

Shortstop: Carlos Correa (34.1)

Carlos Correa is now a free agent, but since 2015, the 27-year-old has solidified himself as the best shortstop in franchise history. His 2021 season holds the most of his career-bWAR with 7.2 in value.

Outfield: Jose Cruz (51.4)

The outfield spots are not the top-three individual positions but the top-three outfielders in the franchise’s history. Jose Cruz is the all-time leader in bWAR for Astros’ outfielders, while playing for the ball club for 13 seasons.

Outfield: Cesar Cedeno (49.6) and Jim Wynn (41.5)

Cesar Cedeno and Jim Wynn are the other two outfielders, while both home run machines played more than 10 seasons in Houston.