Following the 2005 season, the Astros were coming off their first pennant and World Series appearance. As good as the team’s pitching was, they were in clear need of a jolt on offense, as the losses of Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran from the prior year (not to mention Jeff Bagwell) clearly hampered the lineup. So they turned to Preston Wilson.
Wilson was coming off a three-year stint spent mostly in Colorado, which saw him garner some MVP consideration in 2003 when he popped 36 homers and 43 doubles and led the league with 141 RBIs.