Astros All-Star Isaac Paredes joins exclusive Mexican club

For the second time on the Astros’ homestand, All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes made history while cementing himself as one of the best hitters Mexico has produced.

Paredes hit a solo home run in the sixth inning Thursday, accounting for the Astros’ run in a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Daikin Park.

The long ball was the 100th of Paredes’ major league career, making him just the fourth Mexican-born player in MLB history to reach the milestone. He joins Vinny Castilla (320), Jorge Orta (130) and Aurelio Rodríguez (124) as the only Mexican natives in that illustrious club. 

The late Rodriguez, a third baseman from Los Mochis, hit his home runs over parts of 17 seasons in the majors from 1967 through 1983. Orta, a two-time All-Star who helped the Royals win the 1985 World Series, played parts of 16 seasons in the majors from 1972 through 1987.

Strong start

Castilla, who played part of the 2001 season with the Astros, played 16 seasons in the majors from 1991 through 2006. The two-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger winner, hit 239 of his home runs while becoming a franchise icon with the Colorado Rockies.

The 5-foot-11, 213-pound Paredes is barely in his seventh season. He hit his 100th MLB home run only four days after he became the 10th Mexican-born player to record 500 hits in a career. 

More History for Isaac Paredes.

Paredes just hit his 100th career HR, making him the fourth Mexican-born player in #MLB to reach the milestone.

The 100 🇲🇽 HR Club – Vinny Castilla, Jorge Orta, and Aurelio Rodríguez@OurEsquina #Astros pic.twitter.com/i6E8TUilqI

— Max Zepeda (@MaxZepedaSports) June 5, 2026

“It feels beautiful,” Paredes said of his 500th hit.

This is just Paredes’ fifth full season at the MLB level after playing fewer than 35 games in each of his first two seasons in 2020 and 2021 for the Detroit Tigers.

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Astros manager Joe Espada told the media following Thursday’s game that he is not surprised that Paredes is thriving right now for Houston.

“I see that he has found a home here in Houston,” Espada said. “He’s very comfortable with the community, the clubhouse and the team.”

In his nearly year and a half in Houston, 15 of Paredes’ 28 home runs as an Astro have come at Daikin Park. Almost all of them have been pulled to left field. He has utilized one of MLB’s shortest and most unique outfield sections, the Crawford Boxes, to his advantage.

“This ballpark is very favorable to (Paredes),” Espada said Thursday. “And he’s adapted very well, and he has been a very good player for us.”

Key Astros slugger

Most importantly, these milestones represent another chapter in a career built on steady production by Paredes. The 27-year-old native of Hermosillo, Sonora, has quickly developed into one of Houston’s most reliable offensive producers since joining the Astros via the Kyle Tucker trade in the offseason prior to the 2025 season.

Isaac Paredes has joined Yordan Alvarez of Cuba and Jeremy Peña of the Dominican Republic as the Astros’ major offensive contributors since arriving in Houston.

Nevertheless, in a sport like baseball that treats its record books and statistics as the holy grail, Paredes has plenty of time to continue climbing the offensive leaderboards toward some of the greatest Mexicano players ever.

“There’s been some really good Mexican players, and I think he’s got a chance to be one of those,” Espada said. “He’s early in his career, but I think he has shown he has the abilities and capabilities of doing it.”