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Robert Jose Watson
Houston Astros
Catcher-Outfield
Born: April 10, 1946, Los Angeles, CA
Signed: Signed by the Houston Astros as an amateur free agent, January 31, 1965
Major League Teams: Houston Astros 1966-79; Boston Red Sox 1979; New York Yankees 1980-82; Atlanta Braves 1982-84
World Series Appearances: New York Yankees 1981
Died: May 14, 2020, Houston, TX (age 74)
Bob Watson was a baseball lifer. He played in parts of 19 seasons as a two-time All-Star, served as a coach, and was the second African-American general manager in major league history, helping to build the 1996 World Champion Yankees team. Watson was a member of the Astros for 14 seasons, and as their regular left fielder between 1971 and 1974, then moving to first base between 1975 and 1978, he drove in at least 80 runs in five seasons. One of his best seasons came in 1973 when he was named to his first All-Star Game, and batted .312 with 16 home runs and 94 RBIs. Watson went to his second All-Star Game in 1975. He set career highs with 22 home runs and 110 RBIs in 1977, and he hit for his first cycle that season on June 24th. His home run totals were likely diminished given he played a majority of his games in the pitcher-friendly Astrodome.
Died: May 14, 2020, Houston, TX (age 74)
Bob Watson was a baseball lifer. He played in parts of 19 seasons as a two-time All-Star, served as a coach, and was the second African-American general manager in major league history, helping to build the 1996 World Champion Yankees team. Watson was a member of the Astros for 14 seasons, and as their regular left fielder between 1971 and 1974, then moving to first base between 1975 and 1978, he drove in at least 80 runs in five seasons. One of his best seasons came in 1973 when he was named to his first All-Star Game, and batted .312 with 16 home runs and 94 RBIs. Watson went to his second All-Star Game in 1975. He set career highs with 22 home runs and 110 RBIs in 1977, and he hit for his first cycle that season on June 24th. His home run totals were likely diminished given he played a majority of his games in the pitcher-friendly Astrodome.
Traded to the Red Sox in July 1979, Watson hit for the cycle with the club that September 15th, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat in both leagues. He helped the Yankees reach the World Series in 1981, and even though his team fell to the Dodgers, Watson batted .318 with a pair of home runs during the series. He'd retire as a player following three final seasons with the Braves, serving mainly as a pinch-hitter. In 1,832 games, Watson batted .295 with 184 home runs and 989 RBIs. After serving as the Athletics' hitting coach between 1986 and 1988, he was hired to the be the Astros' general manager following the 1988 season. Watson moved to the Yankees as their GM between 1995 and 1998, and his last role in baseball was as MLB's vice president in charge of discipline, rules and on-field operations between 2002 and 2010. He was inducted into the Houston Astros Hall of Fame in 2020.
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.
Having had success the prior two shows at Uncle Dick's Cards with his well-organized, neon common binders, I opted to pull up a chair once again at the friendly dealer's array of tables. The aim was simple: Clear out Uncle Dick's 1969 Topps commons, starting off where I had left off the year before with card #501 and going through the end of the set, card #664. In less than 25 minutes, I completed my quest, and this is the 33rd of 98 commons pulled from the binder. After a generous dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, this card cost me a little over $4, and was one of the pricier cards purchased from Uncle Dick's.
The Card / Astros Team Set / Accuracy Index +5
This is Watson's rookie card, and he'd eventually appear in 17 Topps flagship sets. The write-up on the back of the card mentions Watson's original position of catcher. There's more on that below, and during his long career, Watson would appear behind the plate in 10 games, making a pair of starts in 1973. Topps reprinted this card in its 2001 Topps Archives set.
Accuracy Index: Watson's card earns a solid +5.
1969 Season
Watson appeared in only 20 games for the Astros, batting .275 with three doubles during three different stints with the club in April, mid-June and as a September call-up. Watson was the team's opening day left fielder, but he was asked to report to the Savannah Senators to work on his catching skills. Watson dutifully reported, but nearly quit the game due to the rampant racism he encountered in Savannah. At some point during the season, the Astros moved Watson to their Triple-A team in Oklahoma City, where the slugger batted .408 in 61 games with seven home runs and 48 RBIs.
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First Mainstream Card: 1969 Topps #562
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (17): 1969-85
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2013 Panini USA Baseball Champions #38
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 154 in the Beckett online database as of 3/1/25.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
#561 Ron Clark - Minnesota Twins / #563 Marty Pattin - Seattle Pilots
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