Southern League (1970 & 1972-1978)
Dixie Association (1971)
Tombstone
Born: 1970
Re-Branded: January 1989 (Columbus Mudcats)
First Game: April 16, 1970 (W 5-0 vs. Birmingham A’s)
Last Game: August 31, 1988 (W 8-6 @ Knoxville Blue Jays)
Southern League Champions: 1970 & 1986
Stadium
Golden Park II (6,000)
Ownership & Affiliation
Owners:
- 1970-1978: Dick Steele
- 1978-1988: Dayton Preston, et al.
- 1988: Steve Bryant
Major League Affiliation: Houston Astros
Attendance
Tap (mobile) or mouse over chart for figures. Tilting your mobile device may offer better viewing.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (1st ed.), Lloyd Johnson & Miles Wolff, 1993
Background
Georgia’s Columbus Astros were a long-time Class AA farm club of the Houston Astros.
The Astros won the Southern League championship in their first season in the summer of 1970. The club won a second league crown in 1986, despite finishing the first half of the season in last place and cycling through three field managers.
Key Players
A steady stream of future Major League All-Stars and other notables came up through Golden Park during the Astros era. They included:
- Pitcher Ken Forsch (Columbus ’70)
- Outfielder Cesar Geronimo (Columbus ’70), later inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
- Outfielder Mike Easler (Columbus ’72-’73)
- Houston Astros Hall of Fame pitcher J.R. Richard (Columbus ’74)
- Pitcher Joe Sambito (Columbus ’73 & ’75-’76)
- Pitcher Floyd Bannister (Columbus ’76)
- Future three-time World Series champion manager Bruce Bochy (Columbus ’76 & ’78)
- Outfielder Terry Puhl (Columbus ’76)
- Pitcher Dave Smith (Columbus ’77-’78)
- Second baseman Johnny Ray (Columbus ’80)
- First baseman Glenn Davis (Columbus ’82-’83)
- 1996 National League MVP and 3-time All-Star Ken Caminiti (Columbus ’86-’87)
Move To North Carolina
The 1980’s saw hard times for minor league baseball in Columbus. The team routinely lost money and played to tiny crowds at Golden Park. A classic mom-and-pop operation, the Columbus Astros employed only one full-time employee in its latter years.
North Carolina businessman Steve Bryant purchased the franchise from local ownership in August 1988. Five months later, Bryant re-branded the club as the Columbus Mudcats and beefed up the front office. Bryant’s original intention in purchasing the team was to move the club to the Raleigh, North Carolina area as soon as a stadium was ready. After two final seasons in Columbus, Bryant moved the Mudcats to Zebulon, North Carolina in 1991.
In Memoriam
Third baseman Ken Caminiti (Columbus ’86-’87) died of a drug overdose on October 10, 2004. The former N.L. Most Valuable Player was 41 years old. New York Times obituary.
Pitcher Dave Smith (Columbus ’76), who went on to earn National League All-Star nods with Houston in 1986 and 1990, died of a heart attack on December 17, 2008 at age 53. New York Times obituary.
Downloads
1970 Columbus Astros Roster Sheet
August 1975 Columbus Astros vs. Jacksonville Suns Game Notes
Links
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