Enos Cabell

Enos Milton Cabell Jr.

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 185 lb.
• School Los Angeles Harbor Community College
• High School Gardena High School
• Debut September 17, 1972
• Final Game September 29, 1986
• Born October 8, 1949 in Fort Riley, KS USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Enos Cabell played fifteen seasons in the big leagues and stole 238 bases. He played mostly third base and first base, with much of his career spent with the Houston Astros in two separate stints.

Originally signed by the Baltimore Orioles, Cabell began his pro career in 1969 with the Bluefield Orioles, hitting .374 with 10 home runs in 69 games. With the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs in 1971, he hit .311 to lead the Texas League. After spending most of 1972 with the Rochester Red Wings, he reached the majors as a September call up for the O's, going hitless in 5 at-bats. He split 1973 between Rochester and Baltimore, then spent the entire 1974 campaign with the Orioles. Stuck behind Boog Powell at first base and Brooks Robinson at third base, his playing time was limited, and he was dealt to the Astros after the 1974 season.

By 1976, Cabell became Houston's regular third baseman and he stole more than 30 bases in each season from 1976 to 1979. He had his finest big league season in 1977, hitting .282 with 16 homers and 42 stolen bases. The Astros reached the postseason for the first time in club history in 1980 and Cabell started all five games of the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies, going 5-for-21. Following the season, Enos was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Chris Bourjos and Bob Knepper, and after one season with the Giants, he was sent to the Detroit Tigers for Champ Summers. He came back to Houston in 1984 and ended his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1986.

Cabell drew very few walks, with a peak of 30 in 1985. As a result, his career on-base percentage was .308. On the other hand, he had a decent .277 batting average with a single-season high of .311 in 121 games in 1983. The similarity scores method shows the most similar player as Jim Piersall, although Piersall was primarily a center fielder while Cabell mostly played third and first. The two have similar batting averages, slugging percentages, and Adjusted OPS+ scores.

After retiring as a player, Cabell was a Houston Astros broadcaster from 1991 to 1996 and later worked in the club's front office. Since 2005, he has been a Special Assistant to the General Manager. He was a member of the Texas Southern's Board of Regents from 1995 to 2001 and served as interim athletic director for the school in 2000. In December 2008, he was involved in a bizarre lawsuit with NFL quarterback Vince Young. Young accused Cabell and two other individuals of filing for trademarks to use Young's initials and his nickname, "Invincible", in an alleged effort to make a killing off Young memorabilia beginning in 2006.

Cabell is a cousin of contemporary outfielder Dick Davis and a distant cousin of another contemporary outfielder, Ken Landreaux.

Notable Achievements

• 1971 Player of the Year Texas League Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs
• NL At Bats Leader (1978)
• 100 Runs Scored seasons: 1 (1977)

Related Sites

• Houston Astros bio