Here is Brian McTaggart’s ranking of the top 5 right fielders in Astros history:
1. Kyle Tucker (2018-24)
Key fact: Led the AL with 112 RBIs in 2023
Taken with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 Draft -- three picks behind Alex Bregman -- Tucker blossomed into a superstar and became a core player on Astros teams that advanced to three World Series. He caught the final out of the 2022 World Series victory over the Phillies, capping a season in which he hit 30 homers with 107 RBIs and 25 steals, made his first All-Star team and won a Gold Glove in right field.
Tucker made All-Star teams in his final three seasons in Houston, finishing fifth in American League MVP voting in 2023 and winning a Silver Slugger. He slashed .284/.369/.517 that season with 29 homers, 112 RBIs and 30 steals, falling just shy of a 30/30 season. He posted a .993 OPS in 2024, a season in which he was limited to 78 games because of a shin fracture. Tucker was traded to the Cubs in December 2024 for Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith and Hayden Wesneski.
2. George Springer (2014-20)
Key fact: 174 homers are highest of any Astros player who played majority of games in RF
Springer, who moved from right field to center early in the 2017 season, has played nearly twice as many games in right than center in his career. His presence on this list makes right field one of the deepest positions in terms of talent the Astros have had in their existence.
Many of Springer's greatest accomplishments with Houston came as a center fielder, though he played mostly right field early in his career. That includes the final four innings of the Astros' win in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. Springer was named MVP of the World Series after he shook off on 0-for-4, four-strikeout performance in Game 1 by socking five homers and driving in seven runs in the final six games.
Springer was a three-time All-Star in Houston (2017-19), two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2017 and '19) and hit .270 with 137 doubles, 13 triples, 174 homers, 458 RBIs and 48 stolen bases in 795 career games with the Astros. In 63 career postseason games with Houston, Springer hit .269 with 19 home runs and 38 RBIs.
3. Terry Puhl (1977-90)
Key fact: Batted .526 in the 1980 NLCS against the Phillies
When Puhl broke into the big leagues with the Astros on his 21st birthday in 1977, he was one of few Canadian-born players in MLB. That meant an entire country was fully vested in his career, something the Canadian press reminded him about every time the Astros played in Montreal.
“They would come and say, ‘You’re carrying the flag,’” Puhl said.
No pressure, right? Puhl ended up making Melville, Saskatchewan, and Houston, proud by playing 14 years in the Majors. He played all but 15 of his 1,531 career games with the Astros during a career that spanned several Astros eras. A steady player and talented hitter, Puhl slashed .281/.349/.389 with 62 homers, 432 RBIs and 217 stolen bases for Houston, and he still ranks high on the club’s all-time list of games played (sixth) and triples (fourth).
“A true professional who hardly ever made mistakes,” former Astros general manager Tal Smith said. “He was an excellent right fielder and became an excellent center fielder. … Just a true professional who conducted himself in every respect in a first-class way.”
In the memorable 1980 National League Championship Series against the Phillies, who won the best-of-five series in five thrilling games (four of which went extra innings), Puhl went 10-for-19 to break Pete Rose’s record for most hits in the NLCS. When Puhl got his 10th hit of the series with a single in the eighth inning of Game 5, a message was posted on the Astrodome scoreboard informing fans that Puhl had broken Rose’s record. And Rose was playing first base for the Phillies.
“Pete winked at me and said, ‘Records are made to be broken,’” Puhl said.
4. Richard Hidalgo (1997-2004)
Key fact: The 44 homers he hit in 2000 are the third most in a season in Astros history
The Astros chose to keep Hidalgo over fellow Venezuelan prospect Bobby Abreu in the 1997 MLB Expansion Draft. Abreu ended up having a better career, but Hidalgo’s peak years in Houston were big ones. He hit 44 homers and drove in 122 runs while posting a 1.027 OPS in 2000, and he subsequently signed a four-year, $32 million contract. He was named the Astros’ MVP in ’03 after slashing .309/.385/.572 with 28 homers and 88 RBIs in 141 games.
Hidalgo, who was shot in the arm during an apparent carjacking in Venezuela following the 2002 season, lost his starting job to Jason Lane in ’04, and then asked to be traded. The Astros obliged, sending Hidalgo to the Mets in June 2004 in exchange for pitchers David Weathers and Jeremy Griffiths. In 813 games with the Astros, Hidalgo hit .278 with 134 homers and 465 RBIs.
5. Hunter Pence (2007-11)
Key fact: Hit exactly 25 homers in each season from 2008-10
With an unconventional swing and awkward throwing motion, Pence blossomed into one of the Astros’ most anticipated prospects, and he made his debut in 2007. A fan favorite during his time in Houston, Pence was a two-time team MVP and two-time All-Star (2009 and ’11) for the Astros.
Pence led the NL in batting average at the All-Star break in his 2007 rookie season and ended up finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year Award voting after hitting .322 with 17 homers and 69 RBIs. He showed remarkable consistency the next three seasons, hitting .278 while averaging 25 homers and 82 RBIs.
With the Astros beginning to rebuild as owner Drayton McLane prepared to sell the team, Pence was traded to the Phillies on July 29, 2011, in exchange for four prospects. He was standing in right field during a game in Milwaukee when he was told to come to the dugout, where he was informed he was traded. The Phillies traded him a year later to the Giants, where he helped anchor World Series-winning clubs in 2012 and ’14.
“I have extremely fond memories,” Pence said of his time in Houston. “I played with a lot of incredible players and played for a lot of really great minds. Drayton McLane was wonderful to play for and playing in my home state and for Astros fans, it was a lot of fun.”
Honorable mentions
• Kevin Bass (1982-89, 1993-94) was a key player for the Astros in the 1980s, highlighted by an All-Star selection in ’86. That season, Bass hit .311 with 20 homers and 22 stolen bases to help Houston win 96 games and capture the NL West title. A switch-hitter, Bass started at least 150 games in four consecutive seasons (1985-88) before signing with the Giants as a free agent prior to the 1990 season. He returned to Houston later in his career, hitting .284 in 111 games in ’93 and .310 in 82 games in ’94.
• Derek Bell (1995-99) spent five years with the Astros, hitting .334 with 86 RBIs in ’95 and driving in 100 runs in two other seasons (1996 and ’98).
• Greg Gross (1973-76, ’89) batted .314 as a rookie for the Astros in 1974 and was traded two years later. During his two stints with Houston, he totaled a .293 average with no homers in 490 games.
• Jason Lane (2002-07) hit .267 with 26 homers and 78 RBIs on the Astros’ NL championship club in 2005, catching the final out to clinch the pennant. He hit 61 homers in six years in Houston.
• Norm Miller (1965-73) played nine seasons with Houston, mostly as a backup, and most notably scored the only run in a 1-0, 24-inning win over the Mets in 1968.
• Josh Reddick (2017-20) averaged 15 homers and 62 RBIs while hitting .279 in his three full seasons with Houston.
• Rusty Staub (1963-68) played the first six seasons of his 23-year career in Houston, where he was a two-time team MVP (1966 and '67) and All-Star (1967 and '68). He led the NL with 44 doubles in '67.