Best second basemen in Astros history: McTaggart's take

Here is Brian McTaggart’s ranking of the top five second basemen in Astros history:

1. Jose Altuve, 2011-present
Key fact: Nine-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger, three-time batting champ who won 2017 AL MVP

The only Astros player to appear in an All-Star Game representing the National League and American League, Altuve was signed out of Venezuela at 16 years old for $15,000. He burst onto the scene a few years later after being promoted from Double-A in 2011 and quickly began racking up hits. He became the first Astros player to win a batting title when he led the AL with a .341 batting average in ’14 while smashing Biggio’s club record with 225 hits. He also led the AL with 56 steals. Altuve added batting titles in ’16 and ’17.

Altuve, who endured three 100-loss seasons before playing on four 100-win teams, entered 2026 second in club history in hits (2,388), third in runs (1,236) and doubles (455), fourth in home runs (255), fifth in RBIs (889) and seventh in walks (655).

A key player on World Series championship teams, Altuve has been clutch in the playoffs. He owns the franchise record for career postseason hits (118), runs (89), games (105) and home runs (27, second all time in baseball). He provided one of the greatest moments in franchise history in Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS with a series-clinching walk-off homer off Aroldis Chapman to beat the Yankees.

• Astros' all-time best: C | 1B | 3B | SS | LF | CF | RF | LHP | RHP | Relievers

2. Craig Biggio, 1988-2007
Key fact: Hall of Famer is franchise’s all-time leader in games, hits, runs, total bases, doubles, extra-base hits

Drafted as a catcher, Biggio played his first four seasons in the big leagues behind the plate before making the move to second base in 1992, where he would be entrenched as Houston’s starter for 13 of the next 15 years. (He played the outfield primarily from 2003-04). He won four Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers at second base and was one of the most dominant players at his position in the 1990s, helping the Astros win four division titles in five years (1997-99, 2001) and reach the playoffs in ’04 and World Series in ’05.

A seven-time All-Star, Biggio played his entire 20-year career with the Astros and hit .281 with 3,060 hits, 414 stolen bases and 1,175 RBIs, becoming the 27th player in history to reach 3,000 hits on June 28, 2007 -- his final season. He became the first player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame wearing an Astros cap on his plaque when he was voted into Cooperstown in 2015. In '98, he became just the second player in baseball history to reach 50 doubles and 50 stolen bases in the same season, joining Tris Speaker of the 1912 Red Sox.

“Craig was a once-in-a-lifetime player,” said former Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker. “He was a manager’s dream in the sense you just pencil his name in the lineup every day. He brought his ‘A’ game every day. He gave everything he had to win day in and day out. It’s no coincidence that the greatest stretch in franchise history [prior to 2015] was with Biggio.”

3. Joe Morgan, 1963-71, '80
Key fact: Ranks third all time among Astros second basemen in WAR (30.7)

Signed as an amateur free agent in ’62, Morgan established himself as an All-Star with the young Houston franchise, which was known as the Colt .45s when he made his debut in 1963 at 20 years old. That was the start of a brilliant Major League career for Morgan, a 10-time All-Star who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in '90. He was part of an up-and-coming young nucleus with the Astros that included Cesar Cedeno, Jimmy Wynn, Bob Watson and Rusty Staub. Morgan was traded to the Reds following the ’71 season in a disastrous deal for Houston.

“I loved Houston and wanted to continue to play here, and a lot of my friends were here,” Morgan said. “Jimmy Wynn was my roommate, and me and Rusty Staub were great friends. I would have loved to stay here.”

After playing on two World Series championship teams and winning two NL MVPs with the “Big Red Machine” from 1975-76, Morgan returned to Houston for one season in '80 and started on its NL West championship team. Years ago, Morgan couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened had the Astros been more patient in the late '60s and waited for their young players to mature before trading away himself and Staub ahead of their prime.

“Maybe we would have a championship here instead of me winning two in Cincinnati,” he said.

4. Bill Doran, 1982-90
Key fact: His 30.4 WAR ranks 11th all-time for Astros position players

One of the more underrated players of his era, Doran was a steady and dependable presence for the Astros for nine seasons and was named the team’s MVP in 1985 and '87. He earned some league MVP votes in '86, the year the Astros went 96-66 and won the NL West. Drafted by Houston out of Miami University (Ohio), he played 12 big league seasons and was a lifetime .266 hitter with 84 homers, 497 RBIs and 209 steals.

“He was very underrated,” teammate Dickie Thon said. “To me, he was maybe the best second baseman in the league, even when [Ryne] Sandberg was there. The one year [1987], Billy had only six errors the whole year and they gave the Gold Glove to Sandberg, who had more errors. Billy had better range and a lot of double plays. He could hit and run the bases very well. He could bunt. He could do everything. He was a very good player. They don’t say enough about Billy in Houston.”

5. Jeff Kent, 2003-04
Key fact: Slashed .293/.350/.521 with 49 homers and 200 RBIs in two seasons in Houston

A former league MVP with the Giants, Kent signed a two-year deal with the Astros prior to the 2003 season, a move that forced Biggio to play the outfield. Kent delivered big time at the plate while with the Astros and earned All-Star honors in '04 at Minute Maid Park in a season in which he hit .289 with an .880 OPS, 27 homers and 107 RBIs. He provided one of the biggest homers in franchise history with a three-run, walk-off drive in Game 5 of the '04 NLCS against the Cardinals. That year, he set a club record (since broken) with a 25-game hitting streak. He was elected into the Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee for 2026 induction.

“We were a pretty good team,” Kent said. “The team went to the World Series the year after I left, and I was pretty bitter about that. The time I had in Houston, albeit short, was pretty great. I’m grateful for the time I had playing in the middle of the country. The people and the fans were great. They were my kind of people. I loved every minute of it.”

Honorable mentions

Tommy Helms (1972-75) came to Houston from the Reds in the infamous Morgan deal after appearing in two All-Star Games for Cincinnati. He hit .269 in four seasons with the Astros and had a steady glove. He was traded to the Pirates for Art Howe.

Nellie Fox (1964-65) finished his Hall of Fame career with the Colt .45s/Astros, serving as a player/coach while mentoring a young player named Joe Morgan in ‘65. A former AL MVP and 12-time All-Star with the White Sox, Fox had a walk-off single against the Yankees in the 12-inning exhibition game that opened the Astrodome on April 9, 1965.