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For those of you who have been readers of The CrawfishBoxes, this will not be an overly new thing, although done with a slightly different twist than in previous years. If you’re not familiar with the concept as a whole, don’t worry we will share the links to some of the old ones, as well as explain the premise / differences here.
So to start with, based on the polling of the readers of the Crawfish Boxes, we will decide who we elect as the Favorite Astro of All-Time. In the past, we focused on current players. This year, we’re going to do it a bit different. We’re going to start with 32 contenders - 20 (10 pitchers/10 batters) will be the top WAR earners while in an Astros uniform for All-Time, 8 will be current Astros, and 4 will be “Special Selections” who may not fit into either of those categories but come as a fan favorite for one reason or another.
We will host voting daily, with the winners being determined by the votes placed within the 24 hour period after the article is posted. The following day the winners of the previous day’s matches will be posted as well as the matches that day - with each week a higher level of background, detail, and argument as to why the specific player should be chosen.
So how do you choose? Well, that’s completely up to you. The writers will attempt to sway your votes as we advocate for our pick using everything from advanced statistics, the contribution to the community, heartfelt memories or stories. I mean - it’s tough to quantify how cool it is that Oswalt almost quit baseball before electrocuting himself and loosening scar tissue in his shoulder.
The Schedule -
3/17/2020 - Today. Announcement Post and initial voting taking the field from 32 to 16 Contenders.
3/18/2020 - Top 16 are named. I expect posters to be advocating for their selection and make bold statements as to who wins.
3/19-20/2020 - 4 “Matches” per day. These will be a bit broader, high level
3/21/20 - Top 8 Named
3/22-25/20 - 2 “Matches per day. This is where it starts to get fun. 2 writers advocating for their selection.
3/26/20 - Top 4 Named
3/27-28/20 - 1 Match per day. This is where you have to break out all the stops. Tell the story of meeting Biggio and how he told you that you’d be a great player one day (liar!), use all the stats and the weapon.
3/29/20 - The March Madness Favorite Astro of All Time World Series. The big game day. We will keep voting and arguments open for 2 days!
3/31/20 - We crown our champion. TCB’s Favorite Astro of All-Time.
So let’s meet our contenders:
Top 8 Astros Position Player WAR:
Jeff Bagwell
Craig Biggio
Jose Cruz
Cesar Cedeno
Lance Berkman
Jim Wynn
Jose Altuve
Joe Morgan
Top 8 Astros Pitchers by WAR
Roy Oswalt
Larry Dierker
Don Wilson
Nolan Ryan
Mike Scott
Joe Niekro
JR Richard
Shane Reynolds
Current Astros
Justin Verlander
George Springer
Yordan Alvarez
Carlos Correa
Alex Bregman
Michael Brantley
Zack Greinke
Lance McCullers
Jose Altuve*
Others:
Ken Caminiti
Charlie F’ing Morton
Billy Wagner
Geoff Blum
Roger Clemens
Darryl Kile
Dallas Keuchel
Brent Strom
*Now you may have realized that Jose Altuve is the only player that ranked on both the All-Time and the Current list. Not that he’ll need the boost in votes, but it’s definitely worth noting!
And Now to start the voting for until tomorrow night:
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Round 1
Does recent Astros Hall of Fame Inductee Shane Reynolds be able to overthrow the mighty Jeff Bagwell?
Poll
Jeff Bagwell vs Shane Reynolds
This poll is closed
-
98%
Jeff Bagwell
(288 votes) -
1%
Shane Reynolds
(5 votes)
The pitcher with the most WAR ever in an Astros uniform vs one of the greatest second basemen to play the game.
Poll
Roy Oswalt vs Joe Morgan
Ohh another tough one. Biggio was our first ever elected Hall of Famer but he comes up against tough competition with JR Richard’s not only elite performance but emotional end.
Poll
Craig Biggio vs JR Richard
Will The Toy Cannon be able to overtake a person who was well loved as a pitcher, in the front office, and from the booth?
Poll
Larry Dierker vs Jimmy Wynn
This poll is closed
-
57%
Larry Dierker
(167 votes) -
42%
Jimmy Wynn
(122 votes)
Arguably the most successful Knuckleballer of all time vs a beloved record holder as a player, a coach, and assistant to the GM for 10 of the 11 Astro’s all time play off appearances.
Poll
Jose Cruz vs Joe Nierko
Astros Hall of Famer Don Wilson and his 2 no-hitters come up against a monstrous fan favorite in Jose Altuve.
Poll
Don Wilson vs Jose Altuve
The Astros all time steal leader with 4 All-Star selections and 5 Gold Gloves comes up against the infamous flame thrower in Nolan Ryan.
Poll
Cesar Cedeno vs Nolan Ryan
Scott comes in with the accolades of 3 All Star Selections and a Cy Young but McCullers is a ray of hope and memories of those 24 dominant curveballs dominating the Yankees lingers.
Poll
Mike Scott vs Lance McCullers
This poll is closed
-
80%
Mike Scott
(232 votes) -
20%
Lance McCullers
(58 votes)
This almost feels like the Chicken vs the Egg. Verlander was arguably a HoF’er before he got here but few would deny the impact that Strom had on Verlander’s turn around in performance. Strom’s so well known for turning around pitchers, it’s just expected at this point.
Poll
Justin Verlander vs Brent Strom
This poll is closed
-
64%
Justin Verlander
(188 votes) -
35%
Brent Strom
(104 votes)
Two players I have fond memories of coming head to head in an interesting match up.
Poll
Ken Caminiti vs Lance Berkman
This poll is closed
-
15%
Ken Caminiti
(46 votes) -
84%
Lance Berkman
(245 votes)
Super Springer vs the Beard!
Poll
George Springer vs Dallas Keuchel
This poll is closed
-
94%
George Springer
(276 votes) -
5%
Dallas Keuchel
(17 votes)
Post season hero pitchers come head to head. Will the results or current team matter more?
Poll
Charlie Morton vs Zack Greinke
This poll is closed
-
87%
Charlie Morton
(258 votes) -
12%
Zack Greinke
(36 votes)
The emerging star vs the one who has left us.
Poll
Yordan Alvarez vs Darryl Kile
This poll is closed
-
46%
Yordan Alvarez
(135 votes) -
53%
Darryl Kile
(154 votes)
One of the best closers of all time comes up against a player who has the potential to be one of the greatest SS in the game.
Poll
Billy Wagner vs Carlos Correa
This poll is closed
-
71%
Billy Wagner
(207 votes) -
28%
Carlos Correa
(84 votes)
The Ego Match-up with the skill sets to back it up
Poll
Alex Bregman vs Roger Clemens
This poll is closed
-
80%
Alex Bregman
(235 votes) -
19%
Roger Clemens
(56 votes)
Two mild mannered, fan favorites enter the ring, but only one can emerge victorious
Poll
Geoff Blum vs Michael Brantley
This poll is closed
-
48%
Geoff Blum
(143 votes) -
51%
Michael Brantley
(149 votes)
I do want to mention one thing. No matter which 32 players were selected, there was going to be a large number of fan favorites who missed the list. There’s players in the Astros Hall of Fame that didn’t make it. I told my friend, and his first reaction was “I’m going to vote for Tyler White”, who didn’t make the cut. Collin McHugh is a personal favorite of mine, there’s so many great Astros that the list was always going to cut some short, but here’s the list. Let us know who you think will win, let us know which votes were tough for you to choose and who you went with and why!