Houston Astros: Top 30 players in franchise history

23. Doug Rader, 3B/1B, 1967 – 1975

Doug Rader somehow went undrafted coming out of Illinois Wesleyan but he quickly rose through the Astros minor leagues as a guy who could play both corner infield spots well. His bat was also part of the appeal. He had an approach that resembles modern baseball, a free swinger with a ton of power that was easily showcased in the cavernous Astrodome.

Moreso, Rader was the first to master the insane grounders that would assault the hot corner in the Astrodome. He, ultimately, won five consecutive Gold Glove awards for the Astros. Rader is in the conversation with another guy on this list and will probably soon be joined by Alex Bregman as the best third baseman in team history.

There is a third baseman above Rader on this list but Rader is my favorite all-time third baseman for the Astros. He was an expert in manning the hot corner, especially in such a difficult park like the Astrodome. He was just fun to watch.

Rader’s free-swinging saw him consistently hit over 20 homers in a season and drive in over 80 RBIs. Though, it was a challenge for him to hit above .250. His best average came in 1968 when he hit 267. He also was able to hit 197 doubles and 30 triples in his career.