Houston Astros: Top 30 players in franchise history
By T.A. Mock
21. Bob Watson, LF/1B, 1966 – 1979
Bob Watson spent four years on the AAA to MLB train, starting in 1966, before finally cracking the regular rotation in 1970. Watson played mostly first base and left field though early on in his career he took some time at catcher. Watson broke out in 1973 with a .312 BA and 94 RBIs.
Watson made his first All-Star appearance in 1973. His success built from there and he made his second and final All-Star appearance in 1975, which is an outrage. His two best seasons of his career came in 1976 and 1977 following his All-Star campaigns.
His surge on offense corresponds with a positional change in the 1976 season. He moved from left field to first base and it both elongated his career and helped him become more of a force on offense.
Over his career, Watson hit over .300 four times and had over 100 RBIs twice. His adjusted OPS never fell below 113+ during a full season. However, Watson’s biggest claim to fame is that he scored the MLB’s millionth run on May 4th, 1975. In total, Watson spent 14 years playing ball in Houston.