Ranking the top 10 Astros of the decade

HOUSTON -- It was a decade of transition for the Astros, as players such as Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, Bud Norris, Hunter Pence and Wandy Rodriguez departed and passed the torch to the core of players that would lead the Astros to their first World Series championship.

The second half of the decade saw the Astros bring the star power necessary to take the club to three consecutive 100-win seasons, three division titles and two American League pennants.

Here are the Astros’ top 10 players of the decade:

1) Jose Altuve
Seasons: 2011-present

No player defined the 2010s for the Astros more than Altuve, who was the only player that played a part in three consecutive 100-loss teams and then three consecutive 100-win teams. Altuve played in 448 more games than any other Astros player in the decade and led the club in runs (734), hits (1,568), RBIs (538), doubles (299), triples (28) and batting average (.315). He also won the 2017 AL MVP Award, five Silver Sluggers, three batting titles and made six All-Star teams. Altuve also hit 13 home runs in the playoffs, including a pennant-clinching walk-off against the Yankees in '19.

2) George Springer
Seasons: 2014-present

The 2017 World Series MVP Award winner, Springer’s 744 games played in the 2010s are third to only José Altuve (1,243) and Marwin Gonzalez (795). In the decade, Springer was second to Altuve in runs scored (530), hits (782) and RBIs (426), and he led the Astros in homers for the decade (160) by a wide margin. He was named to three All-Star teams and won two Silver Slugger Awards. Springer’s 15 postseason homers are tied with Babe Ruth and Jayson Werth for 11th all-time.

3) Dallas Keuchel
Seasons: 2012-18

Keuchel went 76-63 with a 3.66 ERA in 192 games (183 starts) with the Astros in the 2010s, throwing 436 more innings and winning 18 more games than any other Houston pitcher in that time frame. Keuchel won the 2015 AL Cy Young Award, made two All-Star teams and won four Gold Glove awards in five years.

4) Justin Verlander
Seasons: 2017-present

Acquired at the Trade Deadline in 2017, Verlander took his career to another level with Houston. He went 42-15 with a 2.45 ERA in 73 regular-season starts with the Astros. He was named 2017 AL Championship Series MVP Award, won the 2019 AL Cy Young Award after finishing second in '18, reached 225 wins and 3,000 career strikeouts, struck out 300 batters in a season for the first time in '19 and threw his third career no-hitter on Sept. 1, 2019.

5) Carlos Correa
Seasons: 2015-present

The 2015 AL Rookie of the Year, Correa struggled to stay healthy, but he was an impactful player when he was on the field. Correa’s 573 hits in the 2010s were the fourth most on the Astros, and he was third behind José Altuve and George Springer in home runs (102) and RBIs (372) in the decade, setting a franchise single-season record for homers by a shortstop. He was named to the AL All-Star team in '17. Correa’s 11 postseason homers are tied for 22nd all-time.

6) Alex Bregman
Seasons: 2016-present

Since making his debut in 2016, the No. 2 overall pick in the '15 MLB Draft posted a .911 OPS that led the club in the 2010s for players with at least 400 plate appearances. Among Astros players, he ranked fifth in the decade in hits (545) and fourth in home runs (99) and RBIs (320). He finished fifth in AL MVP Award voting in '18 and second in '19, made two All-Star teams and won the 2018 All-Star Game MVP Award.

7) Yuli Gurriel
Seasons: 2016-present

Gurriel was one of only six Astros player with at least 500 hits (516) during the 2010s. Signed out of Cuba in '16, Gurriel was an impactful player on Houston's three consecutive 100-win teams, hitting .293 with an .808 OPS, which was the seventh-highest mark of the decade among Astros players with at least 250 plate appearances. He was also a Gold Glove finalist in '19.

8) Marwin Gonzalez
Seasons: 2012-18

In addition to hitting perhaps the biggest home run in franchise history with his two-out, game-tying blast off Kenley Jansen in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 2017 World Series, Gonzalez played all over the field and flashed periods of excellent offensive production. His 650 hits in the decade are third behind José Altuve and George Springer, including 139 doubles and 76 homers.

9) Collin McHugh
Seasons: 2014-19

Plucked off waivers as a fledgling pitcher who had zero success in the big leagues, McHugh’s high spin range on his curveball allowed him to blossom into a steady starter who won 19 games in 2015. He threw 753 1/3 innings this decade, second only to Dallas Keuchel’s 1,189 1/3. His 58 wins in that time were also second to Keuchel (76 wins). In 195 games (110 starts), he posted a 3.63 ERA, including a 1.99 ERA in 58 relief appearances in '18.

10) Will Harris
Seasons: 2015-19

No pitcher threw in more games for the Astros in the 2010s than the steady Harris, who appeared in 309 games after being acquired off waivers in 2014. He threw 297 innings in relief and posted a 2.36 ERA and a .240 batting average against. Along the way, he won 18 games and saved 20 games.