For the next few months, we will look at the unveiling of the Houston Astros and Houston Colt. 45’s entries into the franchise Hall of Fame. The Astros are not the only team with an internal hallowed hall, as they are one of many teams team bridging the gap between honoring their team and those honored nationally. Of course, nominations and honorees between the Astros and the National Baseball Hall of Fame do not always overlap.
Legends with intricate ties with the Astros and Colt .45s previously are eligible to join this exclusive club. The Astros Hall of Fame enshrines their legends in Hall of Fame Alley. This stretch of honorifics runs along the outfield wall from left field to center field at Minute Maid Park. Along this corridor sits a display of several artifacts from the history of Houston baseball since before the Astrodome.
The Astros Hall of Fame
Class of 2024
The 2024 inductees include former Spanish broadcaster Rene Cardenas and, posthumously, former All-Star third baseman Ken Caminiti. They were announced as the Class of 2024 during the team’s community Fanfest event at Minute Maid Park on January 20, 2024. Both men will enter the hall this August during an induction ceremony. Each inductee, or their representatives, will receive an Astros Hall of Fame sportscoat and a customized Hall of Fame plaque.
The Class of 2019
The Astros Hall of Fame opened in 2019 with the induction of sixteen former franchise greats. The Astros brought in infielders Bob Aspromonte, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, and Joe Morgan in their first year. Along with them were outfielders Jose Cruz and Jimmy Wynn and broadcasters Gene Elston and Milo Hamilton. Then, the group of pitchers including Larry Dierker, Joe Niekro, Shane Reynolds, J. R. Richard, Nolan Ryan, Mike Scott, Jim Umbricht, and Don Wilson.
Class of 2020-2023
Subsequent years featured several other players, but the number of players has been tamped down since that inaugural season. During the second year, the Astros inducted infielder/outfielders Lance Berkman and Bob Watson, former team owner Roy Hofheinz, outfielder Cesar Cedeno, and pitchers Roy Oswalt and Billy Wagner. Following a pandemic-shortened season in 2020, where the team elected not to bring anyone into the Hall of Fame fold, the Astros inducted outfielder Terry Puhl and former general manager Tal Smith in 2022 with infielder Bill Doran and announcer Bill Brown in 2023.
Photo Credit: © Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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