RRosternomics
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GH

Gerry Hunsicker

Born Jun 10, 1950 · Collegeville, PA · age 76

Built the Houston Astros' late-1990s and early-2000s playoff core that culminated in the franchise's first pennant, and later helped shape the Tampa Bay Rays' contender.

9 seasons with salary-era data across 1 stint. All figures are franchise-level outcomes during the tenure, not solely attributable to one executive.

Overview

Titles0
Pennants0
Playoffs5
Record793–665
Win %0.544
+5.0GM WAR — wins above a replacement GM (org-adjusted, shrunk; per season) ±4.711th/195 execs
8.7Depth — 2+ WAR regulars per season (the breadth that drives TAB, not stars)10th/195 execs
-4.5Dead WAR — WAR/yr bled by sub-replacement players (closer to 0 = better)51st/195 execs
22%Dead money — payroll on <0.5-WAR players (lower = better)17th/195 execs
$16MCheap-talent surplus — $/yr of value from cost-controlled (pre-arb/arb) players above their pay; the selection engine, and the stickiest GM skill we track89th/195 execs
$13MDrafted surplus — cheap-talent surplus from his own draftees (the develop-from-the-draft engine)47th/195 execs
$2MTraded-for surplus — cheap-talent surplus from cost-controlled players he acquired via trade98th/195 execs
$1MInt'l surplus — cheap-talent surplus from his own international signees81st/195 execs
+77.7TAB — talent above budget — roster-construction alpha (talent your budget bought above expectation), tenure total9th/195 execs
+57.1WAB — realized wins (TAB + the non-repeatable luck of converting talent to wins)13th/195 execs
4.69Acquisition Leverage — playoff pts per acquired WAR, graded once in the year each deal's wins arrive (the repeatable decision skill)8th/195 execs
+27Roster surplus $M22nd/195 execs

Tenure breakdown

TeamRoleYearsSzns WAB WAB/yr TAB WAR surp HG Trade FA R5 AcqLev W-L% POPenWS Surp $M
▸ Astros GM 1996–2004 9 +57.1 +6.34 +77.7 +29.5 +176.0 +3.2 -218.3 +1.5 4.69 0.544 5–– +27
Career total (1985+ data) 9 +57.1 +77.7 +29.5 +176.0 +3.2 -218.3 +1.5 4.69 0.544 5– – +27

Roster Construction

How the roster was sourced

by valueby volume

Share of acquired fWAR by channel vs. league average.

Build channels — net fWAR

Acquired minus surrendered / signed minus walked.

Home-grown (draft/intl)+176.0
Trade+3.2
Free agency-218.3
Rule 5 / minor draft+1.5
Sourcing mix: 63% draft · 16% FA · 21% trade · 0% R5

Roster value distribution — career average — depth vs. stars

Every roster slot ranked best→worst by WAR, averaged across Gerry Hunsicker's seasons. Bars = his rosters; the black line = the league-average player at each slot. Staying above the line deep into the roster is the depth edge.

Players acquired — 142 players, by realized fWAR for the franchise (scroll for more)

PlayerPosTeam How Year Szns fWAR WAR/yr Lev
Lance Berkman 1B/OF HOU Draft 1997 12 +49.7 +4.1 –
Roy Oswalt P HOU Draft 1996 10 +44.0 +4.4 –
Wandy Rodríguez P HOU Intl FA 1999 8 +16.2 +2.0 –
Roger Clemens P HOU Free agency 2004 3 +15.7 +5.2 31.0
Morgan Ensberg 3B HOU Draft 1998 5 +15.3 +3.1 –
Moisés Alou OF HOU Trade 1997 3 +13.5 +4.5 31.6
Hunter Pence OF HOU Draft 2004 5 +12.4 +2.5 –
Wade Miller P HOU Draft 1996 5 +12.0 +2.4 –
Andy Pettitte P HOU Free agency 2003 3 +11.0 +3.7 9.6
Brad Lidge P HOU Draft 1998 6 +9.7 +1.6 –
Carl Everett OF HOU Trade 1997 2 +9.4 +4.7 15.5
Adam Everett SS HOU Trade 1999 5 +9.2 +1.8 –
Bill Spiers 3B/SS HOU Free agency 1996 5 +8.8 +1.8 0.7
Octavio Dotel P HOU Trade 1999 5 +8.0 +1.6 0.9
Jeff Kent 2B HOU Free agency 2002 2 +7.5 +3.8 23.4
Brad Ausmus C HOU Trade 1996 6 +6.8 +1.1 15.7
José Lima P HOU Trade 1997 3 +6.6 +2.2 1.7
Mike Lamb 1B/3B HOU Trade 2004 3 +5.0 +1.7 8.3
Luke Scott DH/OF HOU Trade 2004 2 +4.9 +2.4 –
Tim Redding P HOU Draft 1997 4 +3.8 +1.0 –
Dan Wheeler P HOU Trade 2004 4 +3.5 +0.9 0.6
Brandon Backe P HOU Trade 2004 5 +3.4 +0.7 4.2
Randy Johnson P HOU Trade 1998 1 +3.1 +3.1 13.5
Jason Lane OF HOU Draft 1999 5 +3.0 +0.6 –
Chad Qualls P HOU Draft 2000 6 +2.8 +0.5 –
Carlos Beltrán OF HOU Trade 2004 1 +2.8 +2.8 20.4
Sean Berry 3B HOU Free agency 1998 3 +2.7 +0.9 2.7
Mark Loretta 2B HOU Trade 2002 3 +2.6 +0.9 1.4
Tim Bogar SS HOU Trade 1997 2 +2.3 +1.2 13.7
Chris Sampson P HOU Draft 1999 4 +2.3 +0.6 –
Vinny Castilla 3B HOU Trade 2001 1 +2.3 +2.3 11.7
Sean Bergman P HOU Trade 1998 2 +2.2 +1.1 4.7
Geoff Blum 3B HOU Trade 2002 5 +2.0 +0.4 4.6
Eric Bruntlett SS HOU Draft 2000 4 +1.7 +0.4 –
Peter Munro P HOU Free agency 2001 2 +1.7 +0.8 3.6
Felipe Paulino P HOU Intl FA 2001 1 +1.6 +1.6 –
Mike Magnante P HOU Free agency 1996 2 +1.5 +0.7 6.2
Brian Moehler P HOU Free agency 2003 4 +1.5 +0.4 0.0
Chris Burke 2B/OF HOU Draft 2001 2 +1.4 +0.7 –
Jay Powell P HOU Trade 1998 4 +1.3 +0.3 3.8
Ron Villone P HOU Free agency 2003 2 +1.3 +0.7 1.0
Carlos Hernández P HOU Intl FA 1997 2 +1.2 +0.6 –
Dan Miceli P HOU Free agency 2003 2 +1.2 +0.6 1.6
Russ Springer P HOU Free agency 1996 4 +1.2 +0.3 5.2
José Vizcaíno 2B/SS HOU Free agency 2000 2 +1.2 +0.6 4.9
Paul Bako C HOU Trade 1999 1 +0.9 +0.9 0.7
Chuck Carr OF HOU Trade 1997 1 +0.9 +0.9 5.4
Orlando Merced 1B/OF HOU Free agency 2000 2 +0.8 +0.4 0.6
Kirk Saarloos P HOU Draft 2001 2 +0.8 +0.4 –
Joe Slusarski P HOU Free agency 1998 2 +0.8 +0.4 0.0
Pedro Astacio P HOU Trade 2001 1 +0.8 +0.8 4.0
José Cabrera P HOU Trade 1997 4 +0.7 +0.2 –
Ramón García P HOU Trade 1997 1 +0.7 +0.7 4.1
Glen Barker OF HOU Rule 5 1998 1 +0.6 +0.6 –
Roger Cedeño OF HOU Trade 1999 1 +0.6 +0.6 1.4
Dave Mlicki P HOU Trade 2001 1 +0.6 +0.6 2.0
Stan Javier OF HOU Trade 1999 1 +0.6 +0.6 0.5
Marc Valdes P HOU Trade 2000 1 +0.5 +0.5 1.1
Taylor Buchholz P HOU Trade 2003 1 +0.4 +0.4 –
Thomas Howard OF HOU Free agency 1996 1 +0.4 +0.4 2.5
Nelson Cruz P HOU Trade 2000 1 +0.3 +0.3 2.1
Jared Fernández P HOU Free agency 2002 1 +0.3 +0.3 2.7
Jack Howell 3B HOU Free agency 1997 2 +0.3 +0.2 0.2
Scott Linebrink P HOU Trade 2000 3 +0.3 +0.1 –
Orlando Palmeiro OF HOU Free agency 2004 1 +0.3 +0.3 5.6
Tom Gordon P HOU Trade 2002 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.8
Kirt Manwaring C HOU Trade 1996 1 +0.3 +0.3 0.8
Trever Miller P HOU Trade 1998 3 +0.3 +0.1 0.6
Darren Oliver P HOU Trade 2004 1 +0.3 +0.3 1.3
Josh Anderson OF HOU Draft 2003 1 +0.2 +0.2 –
Sammy Gervacio P HOU Intl FA 2002 1 +0.2 +0.2 –
Mark McLemore P HOU Draft 2002 1 +0.2 +0.2 –
Fernando Nieve P HOU Intl FA 1999 2 +0.2 +0.1 –
Rodrigo Rosario P HOU Intl FA 1996 1 +0.2 +0.2 –
Matt Albers P HOU Draft 2001 2 +0.1 +0.1 –
Tommy Greene P HOU Free agency 1997 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.4
J. C. Gutiérrez P HOU Intl FA 2000 1 +0.1 +0.1 –
Charlton Jimerson OF HOU Draft 2001 2 +0.1 +0.1 –
T. J. Mathews P HOU Free agency 2002 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.3
Edwin Maysonet 2B/SS HOU Draft 2003 1 +0.1 +0.1 –
C. J. Nitkowski P HOU Trade 1996 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.6
Pete Schourek P HOU Free agency 1998 1 +0.1 +0.1 1.7
Mendy López SS HOU Trade 2001 1 +0.1 +0.1 0.6
Philip Barzilla P HOU Draft 2001 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Frank Charles C HOU Trade 2000 – -0.0 – –
Travis Driskill P HOU Free agency 1999 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.3
Sid Fernandez P HOU Free agency 1996 – -0.0 – –
Héctor Giménez C HOU Intl FA 1999 – -0.0 – –
Xavier Hernandez P HOU Free agency 1996 4 -0.0 -0.0 0.0
Jim Mann P HOU Free agency 2001 1 -0.0 -0.0 0.0
Dave Matranga 2B HOU Draft 1998 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Troy Patton P HOU Draft 2004 – -0.0 – –
Colin Porter OF HOU Draft 1998 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Brandon Puffer P HOU Trade 2000 1 -0.0 -0.0 –
Mark Saccomanno 1B HOU Draft 2003 1 +0.0 +0.0 –
Chris Tremie C HOU Free agency 2000 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.0
Jeremy Griffiths P HOU Trade 2004 1 +0.0 +0.0 0.1
Jason Alfaro SS HOU Draft 1997 – -0.1 – –
Nate Bland P HOU Rule 5 2002 – -0.1 – –
Keith Ginter 2B/3B HOU Draft 1998 1 -0.1 -0.1 –
Kip Gross P HOU Free agency 2000 – -0.1 – –
Reggie Harris P HOU Free agency 1998 – -0.1 – –
Jeff McCurry P HOU Free agency 1999 – -0.1 – –
Blas Minor P HOU Free agency 1996 – -0.1 – –
Yorkis Pérez P HOU Trade 2000 – -0.1 – –
Hipólito Pichardo P HOU Free agency 2002 – -0.1 – –
Luis Rivera SS HOU Free agency 1997 – -0.1 – –
Ryan Thompson OF HOU Free agency 1999 – -0.1 – –
Mike Burns P HOU Draft 2000 – -0.2 – –
Tripp Cromer SS HOU Free agency 1999 1 -0.2 -0.2 0.3
Charlie Hayes 3B HOU Free agency 2001 – -0.2 – –
Jonathan Johnson P HOU Free agency 2002 – -0.2 – –
Randy Knorr C HOU Free agency 1996 2 -0.2 -0.1 0.1
Rusty Meacham P HOU Free agency 1999 – -0.2 – –
Rick White P HOU Trade 2003 1 -0.2 -0.2 0.0
Kirk Bullinger P HOU Free agency 2001 – -0.3 – –
Alex Diaz OF HOU Free agency 1999 – -0.3 – –
Wayne Franklin P HOU Rule 5 1998 1 -0.3 -0.3 –
Mike Maddux P HOU Free agency 2000 – -0.3 – –
Todd Self OF HOU Draft 2000 – -0.3 – –
Fernando Abad P HOU Intl FA 2002 1 -0.4 -0.4 –
Ricky Stone P HOU Trade 2001 2 -0.4 -0.2 –
Alan Zinter 1B HOU Trade 2002 – -0.4 – –
Brandon Duckworth P HOU Trade 2003 – -0.5 – –
Jason Hirsh P HOU Draft 2003 – -0.5 – –
Bob Scanlan P HOU Free agency 1997 – -0.5 – –
Kent Bottenfield P HOU Free agency 2001 – -0.6 – –
Anthony Young P HOU Free agency 1996 – -0.6 – –
Mike Jackson P HOU Free agency 2000 – -0.7 – –
J. R. Phillips 1B HOU Free agency 1997 – -0.7 – –
Ezequiel Astacio P HOU Trade 2003 – -0.8 – –
J. R. Towles C HOU Draft 2004 2 -0.8 -0.4 –
Matt Mieske OF HOU Trade 1999 1 -0.8 -0.8 0.2
Dave Clark OF HOU Free agency 1997 – -0.9 – –
Gregg Zaun C HOU Free agency 2001 – -0.9 – –
Mike Gallo P HOU Draft 1999 2 -1.0 -0.5 –
Daryle Ward 1B/OF HOU Trade 1996 1 -1.0 -1.0 –
Brad Ausmus C HOU Free agency 2003 6 -1.1 -0.2 15.7
Doug Henry P HOU Free agency 1997 – -1.1 – –
Pat Listach SS HOU Free agency 1996 – -1.1 – –
Tim Bogar SS HOU Free agency 1998 2 -1.2 -0.6 13.7
Raúl Chávez C HOU Free agency 2000 2 -1.2 -0.6 –

WAB = wins above what the team's payroll predicted (resource-controlled). WAR surplus = era-neutral value (WAR minus payroll in win-equivalents). Roster surplus $M = dollar value of WAR over cost. Build channels (realized fWAR): HG = home-grown via amateur draft / international signing; Trade = acquired minus surrendered (incl. purchases/waivers); FA = signed minus walked; R5 = Rule-5 / minor-league-draft pickups. Credit follows the acquisition year — home-grown to the regime at the player's draft/signing (not whoever was in the chair when he peaked), trade/FA/R5 to the GM who made the move. Players acquired as prospects before debuting (e.g. Smoltz, Bagwell; Rule-5 picks like Uggla) are counted as trade/R5, not home-grown. All are franchise-level outcomes during the stint, not solely attributable to one executive.

Graphs

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Rosternomics — quantifying front-office skill, attribution-clean. Follow @rosternomics on X. Decision-makers on record back to 1933; resource-controlled metrics (WAR & payroll) cover 1985–2026.
Data: FanGraphs (WAR), Baseball-Reference & the Chadwick Bureau register (rosters, IDs), the Lahman Database, Baseball America prospect rankings (via The Baseball Cube), and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0); bios are original. Emoji graphics by OpenMoji (CC BY-SA 4.0).
All figures are franchise-level outcomes credited to the decision-maker in the acquisition year — not solely attributable to one executive.