Justin Richard Towles (pronounced TOLES)...wife Brittany (Broadus)...2002 graduate of Crosby High School (TX) where he was All-District three years...represented Crosby in The Houston Area Baseball Game...attended junior college at Collin Community College and North Central Texas College in Gainesville...received two-time All-Conference and All-American honors...had a street in Crosby, Texas named after him in 2008 (J.R. Towles Lane).
2011
Started the season with Houston...hit safely in each of his first six games and in 10 of his first 11, including three doubles, two home runs and four rbi in that span...Batted .364 (12-for-33) with two home runs, four rbi, four runs scored and five walks in 10 April games...Hit his first career walk-off rbi-single, May 25 vs. Los Angeles (NL)...Optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, July 6...played in 35 games for the RedHawks, batting .276 (29-for-105) with three home runs and 11 rbi...Recalled by Houston, September 2...played in 10 games for the Astros in September...Set career-highs with Houston in at-bats, runs, hits and doubles...Outrighted on October 13...Granted free agency on November 2.
2010
Hit .191 (9x47) with one homer and eight RBI in 17 games with Houston, including 13 starts at catcher...hit .429 (6x14) with seven RBI with runners in scoring position...began the year as the Astros Opening Day starting catcher...optioned to Double A Corpus Christi on May 4...played in five games for Corpus Christi before tearing a ligament in his right thumb on a slide into second base...missed the remainder of the season after surgery on July 26...went 3x4 with a homer and two RBI in a start on April 17 at CHC...marked his most hits in a game since a four-hit game on Sept. 30, 2007 at STL...in his five games at Corpus Christi, went 2x14 with three RBI.
2009
In 16 games over two stints with Houston in 2009, went 9x48 (.188) with seven runs, two homers, three walks and three RBI...finished the season with a season-long, four-game hitting streak from Sept. 28-Oct. 3, during which he hit .375 (6x16)
with two doubles, two homers and two RBI...hit .094 (3x32) in his 12 games prior to the streak...recorded his first career twohome
run game on Sept. 30 at PHI, both off Pedro Martinez...became the seventh MLB player to hit two homers off Martinez
in a game...started 14 games at catcher during 2009, including 11 starts after his final recall of the season on Sept. 4...started
nine of the team's last 17 games of the season...appeared in four games for Houston during his first stint with the club from
April 25-May 11 while catcher Humberto Quintero was on the 15-day Disabled List with a strained right shoulder...played in
56 combined games for Triple A Round Rock, hitting .276 (40x145) with 23 runs scored, 12 doubles, four homers and 22 RBI...
produced a .455 slugging percentage and a .386 on-base percentage while with the Express...in 11 games in April, posted a
.344 (11x32) batting average, his highest for any calendar month this season...hit .303 (33x109) with three homers, 20 runs
scored and 17 RBI at the Triple A level before the All-Star Break.
2008
Hit .137 (20x146) with five doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI in 54 games during three stints with the Astros...started the season with Houston before being optioned to Triple A on June 5...was recalled on July 2 and was optioned back to Round
Rock on July 21...recalled from Round Rock on Sept. 2 and finished the remainder of
the season with Houston...threw out five base runners attempting to steal (27.8 percent
caught stealing)...hit .304 with seven homers and 28 RBI for Triple A Round Rock...caught
nine of 30 base stealers with the Express.
2007
Hit .375 (15x40) with a home run, five doubles and 12 RBI in 14 games with Houston...recorded a hit in eight of his last nine games, including a seven-game hitting streak from Sept. 20-27...batted .478 (11x23) during that span...set franchise record with eight RBI on Sept. 20 at STL...was 4x4 with his first Major League home run...his eight RBI was the most for a catcher in an MLB game since Ivan Rodriguez on April 13, 1999 for TEX at SEA (eight RBI tied for second by a catcher since 1957)...eight RBI was the second-most in the Majors in 2007, trailing only the 10 by Garret Anderson on Aug. 21 for the Angels vs. the Yankees...is the fastest player to have an eight-RBI game, according to SABR...Sept. 20 was his sixth career game, besting the old mark by Jason Bay (eight RBI in his 21st game on Sept. 19, 2003)...eight RBI were the most for a rookie since James Loney's nine-RBI game on Sept. 26, 2006...his three extra-base hits also tied the club rookie record...made his first start at catcher on Sept. 15 and went 2x4 with his first Major league hit and run...went 0x1 and caught 3.0 innings on Sept. 5 in his Major League debut...contract purchased on Sept. 4 from Round Rock...finished the 2007 minor league season at Round Rock, where he hit .279 (12x43) with two RBI...began the season at Class A Salem...promoted to Double A Corpus Christi in July...played for U.S. Team at the All-Star Futures Game in July.
Minors: Split time between Single A Salem, Double A Corpus Christi and Triple A Round Rock during the 2007 season...hit .279 (12x43) with two RBI and two stolen bases in 13 games for the Express after being called up on Aug. 10...promoted to Double A on May 15 and hit .324 (70x216) with 12 doubles, 11 home runs, 49 RBI and nine stolen bases over 61 games...named to Team USA at the All-Star Futures Game in July...hit .373 (25x67) with 41 RBI with runners in scoring position while playing for the Hooks...played 26 games for the Salem Avalanche and hit .200 (18x90) with three doubles, two triples and 11 RBI.
2006
Led the Legends with a .346 (56x162) average...also posted a .436 on-base percentage and a .549 slugging...recorded 14 doubles and 23 RBI in 45 games for Lexington...finished the season with a .993 fielding percentage behind the plate.
2005
Led the Legends with a .346 (56x162) average...also posted a .436 on-base percentage and a .549 slugging...recorded 14 doubles and 23 RBI in 45 games for Lexington...finished the season with a .993 fielding percentage behind the plate.
2004
Selected by the Astros in the 20th round of the June draft...hit .243 (27x111) with six doubles and eight RBI in 39 games for Rookie Greeneville...named 2004 Astros Rookie of the Year for Greeneville...named Greeneville's Defensive Player of the Month twice.
