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7 hours ago
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The Athletic released the honorees in their MLB All-Quarter Century team as voted on by fans, and five Houston Astros made the cut on the 40-man roster.
The first was current Astros star Jose Altuve, who earned the nod as the best second baseman of the last 25 years. Altuve won AL MVP in 2017 and has won seven Silver Sluggers, one Gold Glove, and has made nine All-Star teams.
Former Astro Carlos Beltrán was listed as one of the two center fielders honored. Beltrán had two brief stints with the Astros, playing 90 games for them in 2004 and ending his career in Houston in 2017, when he won a World Series. Overall, his hardware included nine All-Stars, two Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves, and the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year award.
Justin Verlander and Randy Johnson were both named as two of the team's seven starting pitchers. Verlander saw a career revival at age 35 when he first joined the Astros. He went on to win two of his three Cy Youngs in Houston, playing a key role on both World Series teams. He also has an AL MVP and ROY. Johnson's time in Houston in 1998 was short but effective. He started 11 games for the Astros, going 10-1 with a blistering 1.28 ERA. The Hall of Famer is a 10-time All Star with five Cy Young awards (including four in a row).
Reliever Billy Wagner was chosen as one of the team's closing pitchers. Wagner played the first nine seasons of his career with the Astros and was known as one of the league's most consistent finishers. He was a seven-time All Star and is also in the Baseball HOF.
Lastly, Daikin Park got some love from the fans, being chosen as the top ballpark. Of the park, the Athletic's Jayson Stark wrote:
"It’s not a living history museum like Fenway Park, Wrigley Field or Dodger Stadium. It’s not a charming, modern marvel like you’ll find in Seattle, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and so many other places. But if you want to tell the story of baseball in the 2000s, you can’t do it without that wacky bandbox in downtown Houston."
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