Top 5 Coolest Astros of All-Time

From playing in a dome, to wearing a rainbow jersey, the Houston Astros franchise has had a lot of swagger over the years. Let’s break down who the coolest Astros of all-time are.

5. Joe Morgan (1963-1971, 1980)

This Hall of Famer rocked a killer mustache and sideburns before it was cool. Playing for the early Astros, he created their first taste of swagger, making the shooting star jersey the cool thing to own as a kid in Houston (according to my Father). With his base stealing speed and his acrobatic jumps at second base, he was an intimidating force for anyone coming into the Astrodome.

3. Jose Cruz (1975-1987)

The argument can be made that he was a key player in making the rainbow jersey so cool during the ’70s and ’80s. Let’s be honest, is there anything more intimidating to a pitcher than the entire crowd saying “Cruuuuuuz” in unison as the opposing batter comes to the plate? His swagger continues to this day, as a public sighting of him at the “Juice Box” leads to fans, both young and old, breaking out into “Cruuuuuuz”.

2. Yuli Gurriel

His name is La Pina. He wears jewelry while playing. He has by far the most swag and most intimidating batting stance in the league, and he crushes homers in clutch situations, even at the ripe age of 33.

Usually, younger guys have the most swag and it wears off as they get older, but not in Yuli’s case. He didn’t come to the Majors until 2016 at the age of 32, but has exhibited enough coolness to last an entire career.

1. Lance McCullers Jr.

He has the flow of a hockey player, the jewelry of an NBA star, and ices out his cleats like a football player. The weirdest part is that he wasn’t always like this. He was a great player, winning the World Series in 2017, but he came back after that year with the spirit of Houston and its culture flowing though him. The man literally has an Astronaut tattooed on him.

The coolest moment he has had, besides his dominant pitching performances in the regular season and the playoffs, is when he barked at MLB Legend Albert Pujols from the dugout in 2019. He was sticking up for teammate Jake Marisnick, and did not care who he was griping at. This is the absolute definition of swagger.