http://www.blueworkhorse.com/articles/mlb/houston-astros-all-decade-team From 2001 until 2006, the Houston Astros were perennial contenders finishing in first or second in the National League Central every season. They made three postseason appearances during the six year span with each showing getting them one step closer culminating with a trip to the World Series in 2005. Houston had a strong showing in the Fall Classic even though they were swept by the Chicago White Sox. They lost two games by one run and two by two runs, including a 14-inning marathon game. However, it went downhill after that season as the Astros have struggled to play .500 ball since. C - Brad Ausmus After being shipped to Detroit by the Padres in 1996, Brad Ausmus bounced back and forth between the Motor City and the Lone Star State. The Tigers traded him to Houston (1996); the Astros traded him back (1999); and then before the 2001 season Brad Ausmus returned to Houston being traded for a second time from Detroit to Houston. From there, Ausmus went on to become the cornerstone for the Astros pitching staff. Though he never put up great offensive numbers (a career .252 hitter who has hit only 80 home runs in parts of 17 seasons thus far), Ausmus was a beloved figure behind the dish winning three Gold Gloves with Houston this decade. In 2001, Ausmus threw out a staggering 48% of attempted base thiefs. 1B - Jeff Bagwell Larry Andersen will forever go down in Astros lore but not necessarily for his five seasons and 22-16 pitching record. Instead, he will be remembered as the guy Houston traded away to get Jeff Bagwell -- a franchise legend. Though he wasn't the same player at the end of his career when he was beset by injuries, Bagwell still put up solid numbers during his six seasons with Houston this decade. For the first half of the decade, he averaged 117 runs, 34 doubles, 37 home runs and 110 RBI. Numbers that added up for an incredible OPS of .934 and three times being in the top 15 of MVP voting. 2B - Jeff Kent Don't be frightened Houston fans, Craig Biggio will make an appearance on this All-Decade team, but his versatility (and the ineptitude of others) allows Jeff Kent to find his way onto the squad. Kent only spent two seasons with the Astros, but as always, he showed he could hit the ball. Kent averaged 24 homers and 100 RBI despite missing nearly 50 games over the two-year span. During the 2004 season, Kent was named an All-Star, and in the playoffs, he knocked eight extra base hits and ten RBI in 12 games. SS - Miguel Tejada The options were severly limited at shortstop since Adam Everett spent seven seasons (four as a starter) clogging up the middle of the diamond and only hitting above .260 once. So the selection goes to aging, post-steroid allegations Miguel Tejada. The past two seasons, Tejada has hit an average of 44 doubles, 14 jimmy jacks and 76 RBI while hitting a solid .298. Though he hasn't had the range Everett had, Tejada's ability to hit for a solid average life him above. He has been an All-Star both seasons and led the league in doubles in '09. 3B - Morgan Ensberg While many casual baseball fans may not even know who Morgan Ensberg is, Houston fans remember his mammoth home runs while playing the hot corner. The former USC Trojan debuted in 2000, but didn't take a significant role with the team until 2003 when he registered 25 home runs while batting .291. From '03 to '06, Ensberg averaged 24 homers, including an impressive 36 in 2005. He also drove in 101 runs and batted .283 that season as he was named an All-Star, awarded the Silver Slugger, and came in fourth in MVP voting. LF - Lance Berkman If any player HAD to be on this team, it was Lance Berkman. Since his rookie season in 2000, Berkman has been a model of consistency playing in 132+ games every year except his rookie year while averaging 36 doubles, 31 home runs, and around 100 runs, walks, strikeouts, and runs batted in. Being named an All-Star five times, Berkman has batted .300 during the decade, including a career-high .331 in 2001. He has led the league in doubles twice, RBI once, and hit more than 40 home runs twice. He also has batted .321 with six homers and 26 RBI in 29 playoff games with Houston. CF - Craig Biggio Ever the team player, Craig Biggio moved to centerfield for two seasons in the middle of the decade to accommodate the team acquiring Jeff Kent. Though he didn't put up the same type of numbers he did this decade as he did in the 1990s, Biggio was still a solid and durable contributor until his retirement after the 2007 season. Biggio averaged 90 runs during the final eight seasons of his career, and as he was always able to do, the former first round pick out of Seton Hall did whatever it took to get on base getting hit by 132 pitches during the decade, including leading the league in '01 and '03. RF - Moises Alou Moises Alou only spent two seasons with the Astros. during this decade, but he made the most of those two years batting .355 and .331. Despite coming off ACL surgery and missing 64 games over the two-year span, Alou still averaged 28 homers and 111 RBI while posting a .992 OPS. Per 162 games, Alou hit 36 homers and drove in 138 runs and was named to the 2001 All-Star team. SP (RH) - Roger Clemens In another tightly contested position, Roger Clemens gets the ever-slight advantage over Roy Oswalt even though it personally pains me to ever give Clemens credit for something. Even Oswalt's best three-year run (2004 to 2007 in my estimation when Oswalt won 20 games twice and led the league in ERA the other season) wasn't quite as impressive as Clemens three years in Houston. Steroid allegations aside, Clemens was nearly unhittable with the Astros. He went 38-18 with a 2.40 ERAand a WHIP of only 1.07. Not too bad for a guy pitching over the age of 40. In 2005, Clemens put up a miniscule ERA of only 1.87 and posted another league best allowing only 6.4 hits per nine innings. SP (LH) - Andy Pettitte In only two and a half seasons outside of New York, Andy Pettitte still made his mark in Houston and earned himself a spot on the Astros All-Decade Team. Pettitte finished 37-26 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.23 WHIP helping get the 'Stros to the World Series in 2005 after posting a 17-9 record, a 2.39 ERA, and a 1.03 WHIP that earned him a fifth place finish in the Cy Young voting. RP - Octavio Dotel When the Astros traded for Octavio Dotel from the New York Mets, he was a struggling starting pitcher, which continued for his first 12 appearances with Houston before they finally converted him to a reliever. After recording a 5.84 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP in 16 starts, Dotel became the team's closer for the remainder of the season and then became one of the most dominant set up men in the league for the next three seasons. In his remaining three and a half years as only a reliever, Dotel recorded a stingy 2.59 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while striking out 459 batters in only 358 innings. Dotel also combined with four other relievers, including All-Decade Team member Billy Wagner, and starter Roy Oswalt to no-hit the New York Yankees on June 11, 2003. CL - Billy Wagner Brad Lidge and Jose Valverde are both deserving of an honorable mention, but the All-Decade closer is Billy Wagner. The lefty flamethrower's last four seasons in Houston from 2000 to 2003 included exploits of absolute dominance. After twearing the flexor tendon in his throwing arm, Wagner missed the majority of 2000 but bounced back following the elbow surgery to put post three consecutive 35+ save seasons. His last three seasons with the Astros, the former Division III stud compiled a 2.29 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP while striking out nearly 11 batters per nine innings. His 2003 season earned him his second All-Star team selection of the decade when he posted a 1.78 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. --

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