5 most hated Astros players of all-time

Jim Clancy

Jim Clancy's arrival in Houston is another result of a misguided front office decision that ultimately led to him being remember with very little fondness by Astros fans. Clancy spent 12 seasons in Toronto, 1977-1988, where he was fine but not great, posting a 4.10 ERA. Clearly, the Blue Jays valued his consistency and the sheer amount of innings he could pitch per season, otherwise they wouldn't have kept him so long, but after a disappointing 1988 season, they finally let him go in free agency.

Clancy started 26 games for the Astros in 1989 to a 5.08 ERA and was relegated to a bullpen role for the rest of his three year tenure in Houston, where he developed a reputation for blowing games whenever he came in. In three years, he pitched 278 innings for a 5.02 ERA. He was traded to the Braves in 1991, where he only pitched 34 2/3 innings. Ultimately, he retired in 1992 after signing a minor league deal with the Cubs.

Shawn Chacón

Clubhouse cut-ups aren't necessarily uncommon in baseball, but ones that lead to scary physical altercations very much are. The Astros had one of their own in 2008, when pitcher Shawn Chacón engaged in a screaming match with GM Ed Wade before resorting to choking him and throwing him to the ground. Chacón had been struggling, to say the least, in June of that year; he posted a 9.35 ERA in three starts, turned his back on his pitching coach when he came out for a mound visit, and was demoted to a relief role on the 19th.

His confrontation with Wade took place less than a week later on the 25th, and he was placed on waivers the very next day. Unsurprisingly, he cleared wavers and his contract was terminated, meaning he lost almost $1 million he stood to make from the rest of his year in Houston. Despite making an attempt at a comeback that led him to sign a minor league contract with A's, Chacón never pitched in the majors again.

More Astros News from Climbing Tal's Hill