Our 35th entry is James Mouton, who’d debut with the Astros in the outfield in 1994 on Opening Day. He’d play in over 400 games for Houston throughout portions of four seasons, and he joins us exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes.
Q: You didn’t stay in the minors that long; you were promoted fairy quickly. Did the rapid ascension surprise you?
A: Not really. I was older. I had graduated St. Mary’s College and came out as a Senior. They knew they could push me a little bit harder and a little bit quicker
because I was older and a little bit more mature than some guys. It felt very natural the pace I was on.
Q: Opening Day 1994 was one of the more thrilling openers in Astros history. It culminated in walk-off fashion in a 6-5 extra inning win over the Expos, which was your first opening day start. What does that day conjure up for you?
A: It was terrific! We were a team that were coming into our own. We were trying to build something there. The Astros were back to being a formidable opponent. That was a great win because it signified what was ultimately coming ahead from us at that time.
Q: Of course, 1994 ended prematurely with the lockout. When you hear the rhetoric going on present day and the uncertainty of the 2027 season, what goes through your mind?
A: I hope things get done. Baseball is in a great place right now and it can only get better and better, but we cannot have a work stoppage. Things have to keep going and getting better in order for the game to thrive. There was a time during that 1998 season where they were at a crossroads and without the homerun chase, I think we would’ve been in real trouble. It’s pretty simple. We need baseball to continue, and the product needs to be on the field.
Q: You played multiple seasons with Bagwell and Biggio. Did you know way back then that they’d ultimately land in Cooperstown?
A: You know, Biggio was always super athletic. He came out every single day looking to play hard and go hard. When he surpassed 3000 hits, that was just awesome. Bagwell, I thought he’d get there eventually but the injuries impacted his numbers. His stats would be even more impressive without some of those injuries.
Q: You’ve been around the game as a scout. How do you go about measuring the intangibles? Such as a guy’s work ethic or love of the game and their passion? Things that don’t always show up in the box score.
A: I like to watch players in situations. I like to see what happens when things don’t go well. How will a guy handle adversity? What does a guy expect from himself? What does he expect to happen next? Everyone can be good when things are going well but what happens when things go sideways? How does a guy get past that? Do they have a positive attitude and work past that? Those are the guys that I find that are ready to play pro ball.
