James Mouton
The Rave Reviews

1993 - 94 Fleer Excel All-Stars # 3
1994 Leaf Gold Leaf Rookie # 15
1994 Score Select Rookie Surge # RS15
"Selected by the Astros in the seventh round of June 1991 draft"
      --The writers for Classic/Best, 1991

"An electric offensive player who always seems to be on second base"
      --The writers for Bowman, in 1993

"Making the jump from Class A to Triple A didn't faze Mouton, who earned the first Pacific Coast League MVP title for a Toros player. 'He's the type of player people pay money to see,' said Rick Sweet, his manager at Tucson. 'You don't know if he'll drag bunt or hit one over the wall.'
      --The writers at Fleer/Excel, 1993

"[In 1993 t]he dynamic leadoff hitter led all minor leaguers with 126 runsand stole 40 bases to go with his 40 stolen bases. . . In only his third year of professional baseball, being a league leader is nothing new. He has led his league in runs twice and stolen bases twice, with his 60 base thefts in 1991 tops among minor leaguers."
      --The staff for Upper Deck Minor Leagues, 1993

"August 1993: Enjoyed the finest month of a season in which he was the PCL's MVP, batting .413 with 29 RBI in 27 games."
      --The Topps Finest crew, 1994

"The Astros moved James from second base to the outfield in '94 in order to get his bat into their lineup. . .Mouton stepped into the Astros' leadoff role and was in the top 10 in steals as of June 5."
      --The scribes for Fleer, 1994

"The Astros have always considered James to be of unlimited potential, and in 1994 they finally found a position for him. Upon converting from second base to right field, James hit .299 in 24 spring training games to win a starting job with the AStros"
      --the writers for Fleer Ultra, 1994

"Mouton stole 150 bases in 340 minor league games and had an immediate effect in the Majors. On opening day, he went 3 for 5 with two doubles and a steal before walking to lead off the 12th inning and scoring the winning run in a 6-5 Astros win.
      --The crack staff at Upper Deck Collector's Choice, 1994

"The exciting Mouton. . . became a fan favorite in the Astrodome, where fans would chant 'Mooooo, Mooooo' when James came to the plate. 'It's great,' he beams. 'It really pumps you up to play harder.'"
      --The Topps folks, 1995

"James tied for tenth place in the NL with 24 stolen bases in 29 attempts last season. A swift runner who averaged 50 steals a year in the minors, he covers a lot of ground in the outfield and should hit for a higher average once he adjusts to big-league pitching."
      --The prognosticators at Score Select, 1995

"Though he had only 13 extra-base hits [in '94], those numbers should improve as he accounted for 70 in the minors in 1994.
      --The writers at Upper Deck Collector's Choice, 1995

"Although not big in stature, he does have good power and should hit more home runs in the future."
      --The scribes at Donruss, 1996

"A handy guy to have around, James filled in quite ably in left and center fields for the Astros in '96.
      --The writers at Score, 1997

1994 Bowman's Best # 82
1994 Fleer Ultra All-Rookie Team # 8
1994 Score Super Rookie # SD15