Oswalt lends a hand at full-squad workout

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- On April 5, the Astros will celebrate their past with a special ceremony honoring former franchise stars Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman. The duo will sign one-day contracts and officially retire as Astros.

But during his visit to Houston's first full-squad workout day on Thursday, Oswalt wanted to celebrate the club's future.

"I think it's just a matter of time before they put a winning team on the field, for sure," Oswalt said. "The guys have grown."

Oswalt has also grown from being one of the best pitchers in baseball to a mentor.

He recently spoke to the Mississippi State University baseball team at the school's "First Pitch" banquet in early February, and although Oswalt is only assisting the Astros in an unofficial capacity for now, he can envision himself coaching down the road.

"I don't want to get too far away from [baseball]," Oswalt said. "I'm doing some things here and there with some guys back at Mississippi State. It's fun just being around it. I like the young part of it, the guys coming up. [I tell them] kind of what to expect and how to adapt to the big leagues."

Oswalt is not the only former Astros starting pitcher at camp. Roger Clemens has worked with some of Houston's pitchers in Kissimmee, a presence Astros manager Bo Porter welcomes.

Former infielder Morgan Ensberg was also with the team on Thursday.

"It's great to have all those guys stop by," Porter said. "I've said this to all of them. We want them around as much as possible. I know a lot of them have busy schedules, but our door is completely open.

"They are a part of our family, and it's always good for our players to get an opportunity to talk to the guys that have laid the foundation around here of some great teams."