Houston Astros: Top 30 players in franchise history
By T.A. Mock
25. Bill Doran, 2B, 1982 – 1990
Bill Doran was another player for the Astros that never quite gained star status, perhaps that’s the way to describe a lot of those position players. Regardless, Doran was incredibly solid manning second base for the Astros for nearly a decade.
He had some really good speed, stealing over 30 bases three times including a 42 stolen base season. He also provided some decent average and turned into a fairly solid defender after struggling initially. Doran was never great but his solid play over a long period of time allows him to man the 25th spot.
Doran was an ironman for the Astros, playing in 147 games per year for his seven full seasons in Houston. His consistency and availability were amongst his greatest assets to the team. He could be consistently counted on to be in the lineup providing solid defense and offense.
Doran placed fifth in rookie of the year voting during his first season and picked up MVP votes three years in a row from 1985-87. Besides that, he never received any hardware or any more votes. He was incredibly solid at likely resides in the top three second basemen in history.