WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — His first season with the Houston Astros was his last season of professional baseball, but former pitcher Kent Bottenfield still remembers Houston fondly.
"Teammates ... when it came to Houston," Bottenfield said when reflecting on his nine-year big league career. "My locker was next to (Craig) Biggio and he was just a down-to-earth guy."
Bottenfield, who pitched for the Astros in 2001, has spent the past nine years as head baseball coach at Palm Beach Atlantic, a Division II Christian university based in West Palm Beach, minutes from the Astros' spring training facility.
His playing career ended due to shoulder surgery.
At Palm Beach Atlantic, his players are thrilled to have a head coach with major-league experience.
Bottenfield once struck out Derek Jeter in the 1999 All-Star Game. That season, Bottenfield won 18 games as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Palm Beach Atlantic is the perfect place for Bottenfield.
"It’s a great place to be," he said. "I enjoy the institution and what (it) stands for. It’s just a blessing to be here."