This is the story of how Spec Richardson and Tal Smith conspired to turn one of the organization's most beloved sluggers into nothing over the course of 5 seasons.
Generation 0
The Toy Cannon was selected by Houston from Cincinnati in what was then the precursor to the Rule Five draft in November of 1962. After a couple years of part time use he took over the starting center field role in 1965 and blossomed, hitting .275/.371/.470 with 22 home runs and 43 steals. He was an All-Star in 1967, a year in which he hit 37 homers with 107 rbi despite leading the league with 137 strikeouts.