Astros Crawfish Boil: January 17, 2024

Welcome to the Wednesday Boil, where you may read Everystros’ Chapter 74.

168. Ty Wigginton, a six-foot right-handed infielder from San Diego, California, with a Bagwell score of 51.74. He was selected by the New York Mets in the 17th round of the 1998 MLB Draft out of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He was born on October 11, 1977. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (115 games,.237/.314/.398), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (220 games,.275/.329/.479, 40 home runs, 128 RBI), and Mets (288 games,.270/.327/.440, 29 home runs, 131 RBI) before making it to the majors.

The Rays moved Wigginton to Houston on July 28, 2007, in exchange for Dan Wheeler, along with cash. Wigginton played in 50 games for the Astros in the final stretch, starting 46 of them at third base (392).

On August 26, Wigginton hit a come-from-behind, go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth against the Pirates, in an eventual 5-4 win over Pittsburgh. On September 16, in a 15-3 win against the Bucs, he hit a single, a double, and a triple with one RBI and two runs scored.

The 2008 campaign would see Wigginton spend his only full season with the Astros, appearing in 111 games with 74 starts at third base (652 innings, .969) and 30 in left field (247 innings, no errors). He was 110-for-386 with a .285/.350/.526 slashline, with 22 doubles, one triples, 23 home runs, and four stolen bases in 10 attempts. He drew 32 walks and struck out 69 times with 50 runs, 58 RBI, and 27 multiple-hit games, including six three-hit games.

On May 22 Wigginton hit a single in the second inning, doubled in the fourth, and hit a two-run sixth inning double to pull Houston within one run of the Phillies, in an eventual 7-5 loss to Philadelphia. On August 11, he supplied all the offense in a 3-1 win over the San Francisco Giants, with a sixth-inning go-ahead two-run double and an eighth-inning solo home run. On August 28, he hit a pair of solo home runs in a 3-2 win against the Cincinnati Reds.

Houston awarded Wigginton free agency on December 12, 2008. He finished his major league career with five different teams: the Phillies (125 games,.235/.314/.375, 11 home runs, 43 RBI), the Colorado Rockies (130 games,.242/.315/.416, 15 home runs, 47 RBI), the Baltimore Orioles (276 games,.258/.313/.409, 33 home runs, 117 RBI), and the St. Louis Cardinals (47 games,.158/.238/.193, three RBI).

167. Chris Carter, a six-foot-four right-handed first baseman and leftfielder from Redwood City, California, with a Bagwell score of 20.44. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 15th round in 2005 after graduating from Sierra Vista High School. He was born on December 18, 1986.

Carter was a member of the Oakland Athletics when he made it to the major leagues.

Carter appeared in a team-third 148 games for the 2013 Astros, starting 54 games at first base (491 ²⁄₃ innings, .996), 41 games in left field (335 ²⁄₃ innings, .965), and two in right field (17 innings, .857). He went 113-for-506 with a .223/.320/.451 slashline, with 24 doubles, two triples, a team-leading 29 home runs, and two stolen bases without getting gunned down. He led the team with 70 walks and led the majors with 212 strikeouts, tying for the team-lead with 64 runs, and a team-leading 82 RBI, along with 22 multiple-hit games, including six times where he finished with three or more.

Seattle Mariners. On June 12, he hit a come-from-behind, go-ahead ninth-inning two-run double in a 6-1 victory against Seattle. On June 23, he hit three doubles and one single with a pair of RBI in a 14-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs. On August 26, he walked and scored a run in the second, hit a two-run homer in the fifth, a game-tying RBI-single in the seventh, and a solo jack in the ninth inning of a 10-8 win against the Chicago White Sox.

In 2014, Carter appeared in 145 games for Houston, starting 118 games at designated hitter, 14 times at first base (118 ²⁄₃ innings, .978), and six times in left field (57 ²⁄₃ innings, no errors). He hit 115-for-507 with a .227 /.308/.491 slashline, with 21 doubles, one triple, a team-best 37 home runs, and five stolen bases in seven attempts. He drew 56 walks and struck out a team-high 182 times, with 68 runs scored, a team-high 88 RBI, and 29 multiple-hit games, including seven two-homer games.

Carter had a rough start to his June 12 game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, going 0-for-4 before capping the evening with a walk-off solo home run in the 10th inning in a 5-4 victory. He drove in the game-winning three runs in the third inning of the A’s 7-3 victory on July 28. On August 12, he hit two home runs and drove in five runs during a 10–4 victory over the Minnesota Twins. On August 26, he led Oakland 4-2 in the eighth inning with a three-run home run, which ended up being the game-winner. On September 5, the Oakland Athletics defeated Oakland 4-3 thanks to his go-ahead two-run home run in the sixth inning and an RBI single in the fourth.

Carter played 129 games for the 2015 Astros, going 78-for-391 with a.199/.307/.427 slash line.

On June 3, Carter hit a single and a two-run shot in a 3-1 victory against the Baltimore Orioles. On July 21, he hit two solo home runs in an 8-3 triumph over the Boston Red Sox. Granted free agency by Houston on December 2, 2015, he was soon afterward signed by the Milwaukee Brewers (NL-best 160 games, .222/.321/.499, NL-best 41 home runs, 94 RBI), then spent 2017 with the New York Yankees (62 games, .201/.284/.370, eight home runs, 26 RBI).

166. Jim Owens (Bagwell score 30.05) was a five-foot-11 right-handed pitcher from Houston, TX. Born on January 16, 1934, he reached the bigs for the first time with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1955, and played seven seasons with the team (24-46, 4.54, 593 IP, 308 K). He then spent the 1963 campaign with the Cincinnati Reds (0-2, 5.31, 42 ¹⁄₃ IP, 29 K). On December 2, 1963, the Houston Colt .45s selected Owens in the rule 5 draft.

In 1964, Owens pitched in 48 games for Houston, starting 11 of them. On May 10, he pitched 7 ¹⁄₃ innings and allowed only an unearned run on four hits, with three strikeouts in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs. On July 24, he struck out three over three shutout innings for his first save of the seson in a 1-0 win against the Cubs. On August 8, he pitched 1 ²⁄₃ hitless innings, allowing one walk and striking out three in a 4-3 win against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Owens went 8-7 overall in his first season with the Colts, with six saves, 32 walks and 88 strikeouts in 118 innings. He had a 3.28 ERA, a 2.70 FIP, a 1.246 WHIP, and a .263/.310/.374 opposing slashline. He pitched at 1.20 aLI and let nine-of-28 inherited runners score. As a hitter, he was three-for-29 with a double, a sacrifice hit, and 16 strikeouts. He made two errors in 21 fielding chances for a .905 fielding percentage.

Pitching out of the bullpen for the newly renamed Houston Astros, Owens participated in a career-high 50 games in 1965. In 71 1⁄3 innings, he struck out 53 batters while walking 29 and posting a 3.28 ERA, going 6-5. With a.243/.314/.358 opposition line, he posted a 1.304 WHIP and 2.98 FIP. He stranded 24 out of 36 inherited baserunners while pitching at an aLI of 1.58. In the last three innings of a 12-inning 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on May 28, he struck out three batters in three spotless innings. As a hitter, he went 1 for 8 with a sacrifice hit, 1 run scored, and fielded 13 opportunities without making a mistake.

In 1966, Owens continued to throw in relief for Houston for 40 more games, going 4-7 with a 4.68 ERA.

165. Franklin Stubbs (Bagwell score 65.97) iw a six-foot-two left-handed first baseman and left fielder from Laurinburg, NC. Born on October 21, 1960, he was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1982 out of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with the 19th overall selection.

Stubbs played with the Dodgers through the first six seasons of his career (542 games, .227/.294/.401, 59 home runs, 178 RBI). On April 1, 1990, LA traded him to Houston for Terry Wells.

Stubbs only played one season for Houston, appearing in 146 games. He started 61 games at first base (542 ¹⁄₃ innings, .991), 57 games in left field (478 ¹⁄₃ innings, .991), and three times in right field (25 innings, no errors). At the plate, he was 117-for-448, with a .261/.334/.475 line, 23 doubles, two triples, 23 home runs, and 19 stolen bases in 25 attempts. He drew 48 walks and struck out 114 times, with 59 runs, 71 RBI, and 34 multiple-hit games.

On May 1, Stubbs entered as a seventh-inning defensive replacement, then hit a game-tying homer in the eighth inning of an eventual 13-inning 2-1 loss to the Montreal Expos. On June 2, he entered defensively in the eighth inning, then hit a go-ahead 10th-inning RBI-double in an eventual 10-inning 5-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants. On August 13, Stubbs hit a pair of home runs for four RBI in a 7-2 win against the Chicago Cubs. Five days later, he hit two singles, a double, and a home run with two RBI in a 3-2 11-inning win over the St. Louis Cardinals.

On August 31, after starting the game 0-for-3, he hit a game-tying ninth-inning RBI-single, and eventually came around to score the walkoff game-winner on a Glenn Wilson single for a 3-2 triumph against the Pittsburgh Pirates. On September 15, he hit a second-inning single and scored a run, a fourth-inning single, a sixth-inning walk and an eighth-inning game-tying run-scoring single in an eventual 3-2 Houston victory over the Giants. On September 26, he hit a double and a home run, totaling six RBI in a 10-1 win over the Dodgers.

Stubbs left via free agency following the season, and soon afterward played two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers (195 games, .220/.288/.363, 20 home runs, 80 RBI) and one year with the Detroit Tigers (62 games, .250/.358/.397, two home runs, 19 RBI). After his retirement, he served as a hitting coach with several organizations, most recently in 2019 with the Hillsboro Hops at Low-A for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

164. Juan Agosto (Bagwell score 26.45) is a six-foot-two left-handed pitcher from Rio Piedras, PR. Born on February 23, 1958, he made his major league debut with the 1981 Chicago White Sox, and remained for six seasons (8-8, 3.87, 169 ²⁄₃ iP, 101 K). He then pitched part of a season with the Minnesota Twins (1-2, 8.85, 20 ¹⁄₃ IP, nine K). On February 13, 1987, he signed with Houston through free agency.

Agosto pitched 27 times in relief for the 1987 Astros, going 1-1 with a 2.63 ERA and six strikeouts in 27 ¹⁄₃ innings. He had a 1.317 WHIP, a .248/.313/.324 opposing line, pitched with a 0.79 aLI, and let five-of-16 inherited runners to score. On August 20, he inherited two Cardinals with one out in the eighth inning and struck out one batter over 1 ²⁄₃ perfect frames for his first (of two) save of the season in a 5-4 win over St. Louis.

In 1988, Agosto was 10-2 with a career-low 2.26 ERA, a 1.135 WHIP, 30 walks and 33 Ks in 91 ²⁄₃ innings, and a 1.19 aLI. He stranded 25-of-39 inherited runners. On September 28, he pitched 2 ¹⁄₃ perfect innings in an eventual 17-inning 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

Agosto pitched another 72 times in 1989, going 4-5 with a 2.93 ERA. He walked 32 and struck out 46 in 83 innings, a 1.361 WHIP, and an opposing line of .256/.323/.329 while letting 17-of-45 inherited runners to cross the plate. He was a lower-leveraged than in season’s past, spending the year with a 0.82 aLI. On May 20, he pitched two scoreless frames and struck out a season-high four Pirates to earn a victory ina 5-4, 11-inning win against Pittsburgh. On June 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Agosto was the fifth of-seven pitchers in a 22-inning 5-4 win, pitching four shutout innings between the 12th and the 15th while striking out a pair.

In 1990, Agosto pitched a career-high and MLB-leading 82 times, walking 39 and striking out 50 in 92 ¹⁄₃ innings (all career-highs). He was 9-8 with a 4.29 ERA, a 1.408 WHIP, a .261/.345/.350 opposing slashline, and stranded 49-of-59 inherited runners while pitching with a 1.24 aLI. On May 1, Agosto inherited runners on the corners with a tie score in the bottom of the ninth, when he relieved Danny Darwin with two outs, then got Mike Aldrete to ground out for Montreal. He followed with two perfect innings, but Houston eventually lost, 2-1 in 13.

On May 6, Agosto relieved Jim Deshaies after six innings with a 3-3 score, then faced the minimum over three innings despite allowing two hits in a 7-4 11-inning loss to the New York Mets. On September 14, Agosto collected the final nine outs of a 2-1 win over the Giants to save Mark Portugal’s start, giving up just one hit and striking out one batter. On September 21, he was the fifth of five pitchers in the ninth inning after the first four combined to give up a walk, a pair of doubles, and two runs to allow the Braves to tie the game at 3 in the ninth, then got Jeff.

Treadway to line out. He followed with a scoreless 10th to earn a 4-3 win over Atlanta.

On November 5, 1990, Houston let Agosto go. He went on to pitch for the Cardinals (7-7, 5.20, 117 ²⁄₃ IP, 47 K) and the Seattle Mariners (0-0, 5.89, 18 ¹⁄₃ IP, 12 K). In 1993, he returned to the Astros for his final major league experience and struck out three batters versus zero walks over six innings.

163. Tony Sipp (Bagwell score 36.97) is a six-foot left-handed pitcher from Pascagoula, MS. Born on July 12, 1983, he was drafted three times. First, by the Chicago Cubs in the 28th round in 2001 out of Moss Point High School, next by the Chicago White Sox in the 33rd round in 2002 out of Okaloosa-Walton College, and finally in the 45th round in 2004 by the Cleveland Indians out of Clemson University. Believe it or not, he was the fifth (of six) players to make the majors after being selected with the 1,333rd pick, but the leader of the group with 4.9 career bWAR.

Sipp reached the bigs with Cleveland in 2009 and pitched four seasons for the Mistake on the Lakers (11-7, 3.68, 220 ¹⁄₃ IP, 225 K). He followed with one season for the Arizona Diamondbacks (3-2, 4.78, 37 ²⁄₃ IP, 42 K). On May 1, 2014, Sipp signed on with Houston through free agency.

In 50 ²⁄₃ innings, Sipp walked 17 and struck out 63, going 4-3 with a 3.38 ERA, four saves, a 0.888 WHIP, and a miniscule .157/.231/.287 slashline. Used in slightly higher than average leveraged positions (1.32 aLI), Sipp stranded 26-of-32 inherited baserunners. On September 5, he struck out four batters for his third save of the season, pitching two almost-perfect innings (Jed Lowrie reached base on a strikeout) in a 4-3 win against the Oakland Athletics.

In 2015, Sipp was 3-4 with a 1.99 ERA and 15 walks with 62 strikeouts over 54 ¹⁄₃ innings. He had a 1.031 WHIP, a.208/.266/.340 opposing line, and stranded 26-of-34 inherited runners, pitching at an aLI of 1.15. On September 28, Sipp relieved LMJ with a runner on first and nobody out in the seventh, then pitched two perfect innings despite totaling only five batters faced in a 3-2 win over the Seattle Mariners. In the postseason, he pitched 5 ¹⁄₃ scoreless innings over six appearances, with five strikeouts and only one hit allowed.

Sipp pitched in 60 games again in 2016, going 1-2 with a 4.95 ERA. He went from the Hector Neris role to the Seth Martinez role, walking 18 and striking out 40 in 43 ²⁄₃ innings, with a 1.603 WHIP and a Kyle Tucker-sized 297/.364/.589 opposing line. Used at an aLI reduced to 0.66, Sipp stranded nine-of-26 inherited runners.

In 37 1⁄3 innings in 2017, Sipp struck out 39 batters while walking 16 and went 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA, 1.393 WHIP,.247/.323/.507 opposition line, and 0.37 aLI. His even lower leverage led to a season in which he never had a WPA greater than 0.065.

In 38 2 1/3 innings, Sipp struck out 42 and walked 13, demonstrating a comeback in 2018. He finished the season 3-1 with a 1.86 ERA, 1.034 WHIP, and a.200/.272/.311 opponent line. He stranded 34 of the 37 inherited runners in his innings pitched, with an aLI of 0.74. In a 6-5 defeat to the Boston Red Sox on September 21, Sipp recorded a season-high 1.61 RE24 in 2 1/3 innings pitched with the bases loaded and two strikeouts.

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