This offseason, I’m running down all 975 players to appear on the field in a Houston Astros regular season game. We’re still in the fourth bracket of such players, those who collected between 101 and 500 plate transactions with the team. In today’s chapter, we’re looking at Astros who were replacement level while with the team and between 103 and 204 Astros PA/BF. We also reach the midpoint of the countdown.

After two complete seasons in the minors, the Orioles cut ties with Fuller, who turned around and got a chance to play for the Astros. A weak-hitter on offense, Fuller was a defensive stalwart who was consistently better than the “average” MLB fielder, going by advanced metrics not available at the time. He made one error in 224 ¹⁄₃ innings in left field, but also collected five assists. Extrapolated over a full season, he would have been worth over a win above replacement, just on defense. He also played three innings at first base and eight in right field.

At the plate, Fuller was 16-for-100 with six doubles and two homers. He drew 10 walks, scored five runs, and drove in nine, striking out 45 times. He did have one moment of offensive glory. On June 22, he hit two home runs for four RBI in a 7-0 win against the Montreal Expos.

Houston traded Fuller to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Dave Augustine on March 30, 1978, but Fuller never again played at the major league level.

492. Gary Geiger was a six-foot lefty-batting righty-throwing centerfielder from Sand Ridge, IL. Born on April 4, 1937, he was a member of the Cleveland Indians organization when he got to the majors in 1958 (91 games, .231/.330/.272, one home run, six RBI). He later played seven seasons for the Boston Red Sox (618 games, .253/.338/.422, 71 home runs, 246 RBI, 57 stolen bases) and the Atlanta Braves (147 games, .214/.328/.333, five home runs, 15 RBI).

After the 1968 season, in which Geiger was relegated to the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Astros chose him in the rule 5 draft. Kinda weird…he had already played 856 major league games. Does anyone have memories of the rule 5 draft in the 1960s?

Anyway, Geiger was a mainstay for Houston through the 1969 campaign, with 93 appearances. That ranked him ninth on the team, which means he was the fourth outfielder. (Marty Martinez had more plate appearances, and was the “actual” utility player, whereas Geiger was used in the outfield only). On July 27, tied with the Philadelphia Phillies at two apiece with two outs in the bottom of the 11th, Geiger hit the walkoff single, scoring Joe Morgan for a 3-2 victory.

Geiger ended up with a .224/.351/.272 slashline, going 28-for-125 over the season, with four doubles and one triple. He drew 24 walks, scored 19 runs, and drove 16 in, stealing two bases in three attempts. Defensively, he played 183 ¹⁄₃ innings in left (.950), 102 innings (1.000) in right, and 16 innings in center.

Geiger stuck around in 1970, but only appeared in five games, going one-for-four at the dish.

491. Anthony Young was a six-foot-two right-handed pitcher from Houston. Born on January 19, 1966, he was a 10th-round selection of the Montreal Expos in 1984 out of high school, but instead went to the University of Houston. Three years later, he was a 38th-round draftee of the New York Mets.

Young reached the majors with the Mets in 1991, and played in parts of three seasons for them both as a starter (31 starts) and as a reliever (70 times). Overall, he was 5-35 with a 3.82 ERA and a 1.367 WHIP, along with 146 K’s in 270 ²⁄₃ IP. He then spent two seasons with the Chicago Cubs (7-10, 3.87, 156 IP, 80 K).

Before 1996 Spring Training, the Astros signed Young to a deal. He came out of the pen for Houston in 28 of their first 73 games of the season. On June 17, he struck out a pair over two shutout innings in his third win of the season, a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

But Young walked more (22) than he struck out (19), and allowed 36 hits in 33 ¹⁄₃ innings for a 1.740 WHIP. He did go 3-3 with a 4.59 ERA, but a FIP almost a run-and-a-half higher (5.93) indicated that even with his so-so metrics he got a lot lucky a lot of the time. Young was granted free agency from the Houston organization following the season.

490. Edgar González is a six-foot-two right-handed pitcher from San Nicolas de los Garza, MX. Born on February 23, 1983, he reached the major leagues for the first time in 2003 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played in a total of six seasons with the Snakes (14-21, 5.97, 257 ²⁄₃ IP, 168 K), followed with a year for the Oakland Athletics (0-4, 5.51, 65 ¹⁄₃ IP, 39 K) and a season with the Colorado Rockies (one game, two innings). Colorado released González on June 19, 2012.

On August 23, 2012, González signed with the Astros through free agency. He joined Houston’s rotation on September 3, and made six starts through the end of the season. He was at his best in his second start, on September 9 against the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out six and allowed one run on two hits and a walk in a 5-1 victory. In 25 innings in total, he walked eight and struck out 18, and allowed 14 runs, all earned, on 23 hits with a 1.240 WHIP.

On April 7, 2013, the Toronto Blue Jays selected González off waivers from Houston. After five weeks in Toronto’s system, during which he put up a 7.88 ERA over eight innings at the major league level, they granted his free agency. He once again signed with Houston.

His second tour with Houston wasn’t nearly as good as his first. He pitched 10 innings and posted a 2.000 WHIP on 17 hits and three walks. He gave up nine runs, eight earned, and struck out eight.

489. Jim Landis was a six-foot-one right-handed centerfielder from Napa, CA. Born on March 9, 1934, he got to major league baseball for the first time in 1957, and ultimately spent the Lion’s share of his career with his first team, the Chicago White Sox (1063 games, .250/.346/.385, 83 home runs, 398 RBI, 127 SB). He also played with the Kansas City Athletics (118 games, .239/.346/.310, three home runs, 36 RBI, eight SB) and the Cleveland Indians (85 games, .222/.317/.343, three home runs, 14 RBI).

On January 4, 1967, the Tribe sent Landis with Doc Edwards and Jim Weaver to the Astros for Lee Maye (273) and Ken Retzer. On April 16, he hit a single and two doubles with an RBI in an 11-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. On June 3, he went three-for-four with an RBI in a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Over 50 games with Houston, Landis hit 36-for-143 with 11 doubles, a triple and a home run. He drew 20 walks, scored 19 runs, and drove in 14. Defensively, he was perfect in 220 ¹⁄₃ innings in left, 107 ²⁄₃ innings in right, and nine innings in center for Houston. On June 29, the Astros sent Landis to the Detroit Tigers. He hit .208 in 25 games with Detroit, then finished the season going one-for-seven in five games for the Boston Red Sox.

488. Félix Mantilla is a six-foot right-handed middle infielder/outfielder from Isabella, PR, and the midpoint of our countdown (487 before, 487 after). Born on July 29, 1934, he reached the major leagues in 1956 with the Milwaukee Braves. He played six seasons with the team (402 games, .231/.285/.325, 18 home runs, 78 RBI), later also appearing with the New York Mets (141 games, .275/.330/.399, 11 home runs, 59 RBI), and the Boston Red Sox (349 games, .287/.369/.474, 54 home runs, 171 RBI), making the American League All-Star Team in 1965.

Just as the 1966 season was getting underway, the Red Sox traded Mantilla to the Astros for Eddie Kasko (199). On May 18, he went three-for-three with a double and an RBI in a 4-2 win against the Chicago Cubs. On July 2, he grounded out in his first three at bats, then hit a tiebreaking eighth-inning three-run home run in a 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. On July 14, he entered the seventh inning with two outs and a runner on second as a pinch-hitter, then launched a two-run shot that gave Houston a 6-4 lead. Houston eventually lost, 7-6 on a Joe Torre walkoff home run.