 (c) Houston Astros |
Seasons: 1981-87
226 runs, .270 AVG, 94 SB
Key comments:
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THE ASTROS ALL-TIME TEAM - SHORTSTOP
Starter: Dickie Thon
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Backup: Roger Metzger
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Other mentions : Craig Reynolds, Denis Menke, Ricky Gutierrez
Full comments:
Bill McCurdy:
Backup: Craig Reynolds was a good field, clutch hitting shortstop
who could play almost any position on the field. For those reasons, I chose
him as my backup over the best defensive shortstop in franchise history,
Roger Metzger.
Darrell Pittman:
Greg Lucas:
Jeff Burk:
John Lauck:
His backup, Metzger, fielded the position better and longer (1971-78) than
anyone else in Astros history, smooth as flowing water when going back in the
hole or turning a double play, with a fine, accurate arm. Trouble was, despite
Metzger’s and the coaching staff’s best efforts, he never turned into much of a
hitter. The Astro teams of 1972 through 1974 could carry him offensively; those
of the dark years of 1975 through 1978, could not.
Gene Elston: Roger Metzger & Dickie Thon.
Starter: Dickie Thon was no where near the best defensive shortstop in
Astros history, but his 1983 year showed promise of his future as a power
hitting, good batting average player. Were it not for the tragedy of 1984,
the sky had been the limit on his potential.
Michael Nash:
Dickie Thon & Craig Reynolds. I hate Mike Torrez and will until the day I die. Dickie Thon
was Barry Larkin before there was any hint of Barry Larkin.
Dickie Thon was the best and perhaps the only pure shortstop in Astros history. If only he
hadn't been beaned...
Bob Hulsey:
Starter - Denis Menke (R): Any other 90-RBI guys to select at this position? Backup: Craig
Reynolds (L): He and Roger Metzger were our best defensive shortstops among those who held the position very
long.
Dickie Thon is a weak #1 for me only because his career was not long enough. Craig
Reynolds whose career was longer and part of some good teams gets the #2 job. Ricky Gutierrez was also a key to
some winners but is #3. Earlier Astro shortstops simply didn’t hang around long enough...or hit well enough
(Roger Metzger) for my vote. This is one of the toughest positions to fill and the #1 spot is prime for a new name
in the future.
Ray Kerby:
Dickie Thon was the best shortstop in a weak field. His breakout season in 1983 validated his potential,
but he was one Mike Torrez fastball away from being a perennial All-Star. Roger Metzger gets the nod over Craig Reynolds
for the backup spot. Both were atrocious hitters, but Metzger was better defensively and played more seasons for the team.
Dickie Thon & Roger Metzger.Despite his career-debilitating injury, Thon played
more games as the Astros shortstop than anyone but Metzger, Craig Reynolds, and Rafael Ramirez and was by
far the best hitter at the position (OPS+ 114). Metzger played longer and more regularly than any
other Astros shortstop, and although his offense was poor (OPS+ 73), he is the only player in franchise
history to win a Gold Glove at shortstop.
Andy Tomczeszyn:
Roger Metzger, Dickie Thon. Maybe someday, the Astros will be able to pencil in Julio Lugo everyday, and he'll be the 2000's version of Omar Vizquel, but until farm animals start jumping out of bodily orifices, there's not much to choose from here. Metzger gets the nod for longevity and defense, and Thon for having the single best season at SS for the Astros.
Dickie Thon & Roger Metzger. This position is one of the most difficult, and perhaps
controversial, positions to fill on the team. The Astros have not had, during
their history, many good, all-around shortstops--those who can field expertly
and contribute in measurable ways on offense (a statement, it must be said,
that is true of most shortstops in the history of major league baseball).
Houston was on its way to developing one of those rare shortstops when it
traded for Dickie Thon out of the Angels’ system in the early 1980s. Thon’s
1983 season (.286/20/79) was breathtaking--a joyful experience for those of us
who remember the Astros’ long, frustrating search to find a solid fielder and
hitter for the position after Bob Lillis started the franchise off from 1962
through 1964. (Eddie Kasko, Sonny Jackson, Hector Torres, Denis Menke, Roger
Metzger, and Craig Reynolds all tried to fill Houston’s needs at short in those
following years, but with wildly varying degrees of success. When Thon
blossomed in ’83, however, Astro fans finally saw what we now call “a five-tool
player” at short. Here was a guy who could hit for average, hit for power,
throw, steal bases, and field his position cleanly. All of those skills,
however, were nearly taken away from Thon in early 1984, when the Mets’ Mike
Torrez beaned him with a pitch and damaged his vision. It was a sad, terrifying
moment in the Dome, one that linked Astros fans with those of other generations
in Cleveland and Boston, who saw similar talents wiped away by a line drive
that struck Indians’ pitcher Herb Score in the eye in 1954 and a head-high
pitch that damaged Tony Conigliaro’s eyesight beyond repair in 1968. Thon
courageously tried to continue playing, and he was, in fact, the starter on
Houston’s NL West Division Championship club of 1986, but he was never the same
player after the injury that he was before.
