Houston Astros sign former Greeneville catcher J.R. Towles

The Houston Astros have announced that they have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with three additional players including former Greeneville Astros catcher, J.R. Towles. He is set to earn $401,500. The other two players to sign are right-handed pitcher Chris Sampson for $449,000 and infielder Drew Sutton for $400,000. The announcement was made by General Manager Ed Wade.

Towles, 25, was selected by the Astros in the 20th round in June 2004 out of North Central Texas College. He began his career as a starting catcher for the Greeneville Astros during their inaugural championship season of 2004. During that memorable season, he hit .243 while catching in 37 games and became a fan favorite for the things he did off the field as much as his play on the field.

After leaving Greeneville, Towles quickly moved up through the organization and made tremendous strides in 2007. He began the season with the Class A Salem Avalanche, got called up to Double A Corpus Christi, was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game, got moved up to Triple A Round Rock, and finished the season with the Houston Astros. During his 14 games at the major league level, Towles managed to set an all-time single game Houston Astros record for RBI in a game with 8 RBI on a 4 for 4 night against the St. Louis Cardinals.

After being named the top prospect in the Astros organization by Baseball America prior to the 2008 season, Towles began the year in Houston and played in 54 games throughout the year while hitting for 5 doubles, 4 homeruns, and 16 RBI. He also spent time in Triple A Round Rock hitting .304 with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 7 homeruns, and 28 RBI in 48 games.