Astros Fans Can Expect Heated Debate After New Book Ranks Franchise Greats

Prior to this "Golden Era" of Houston Astros baseball, there was no question in anyone's minds about which team and group of players were the best in franchise history.

For a long time, when thinking about the Astros, the first two things that popped into people's minds were the funky batting stance of Jeff Bagwell and smooth swing of Craig Biggio.

That still might be the case for many around Houston.

But, the emergence of this current dynasty and the players involved have entered a new set of names into the forefront of discussion.

Two World Series championships will do that, and Jose Altuve has reaped the benefit of this while also becoming one of the greatest playoff performers the game has ever seen.

So, that's why the new book titled "The 50 Greatest Players in Houston Astros History" by Robert W. Cohen, is certain to spark debate.

It's set to be released on March 5 with pre-orders now available, but Josh Criswell of Chron.com has gotten his hands on the list and shared it.

To no one's surprise, Bagwell, Biggio and Altuve are the top-three players listed, but it's that specific order which might surprise some people.

Bagwell and Biggio are Hall of Famers and own many of the franchise records. It's hard to argue against their numbers, but Altuve was also the driving force in bringing home the organization's first World Series title and delivering another one.

To come up with these rankings, Cohen put together his ranking system based on the level of dominance players had with the Astros, their statistics, the era in which they played, and overall contributions on and off the field with some other factors considered.

These rankings also only account for the time period these players spent in Houston, so statistics from other teams don't hold weight here.

Rounding out the Top-5 is Lance Berkman at No. 4 and Roy Oswalt at No. 5.

Other notable names on the list that might garner some raised eyebrows is Billy Wagner at No. 13, Alex Bregman at No. 14, Nolan Ryan at No. 16 and Justin Verlander at No. 17.

Baseball debates are always fun.

Cohen just provided a lot of ammunition for Astros fans to discuss who really are the best players in franchise history.