The Houston Astros announced on Thursday that they signed two position players and a pitcher to minor league contracts and invited them to Spring Training. Outfielder Charles Gipson, left-hander Phil Norton and first baseman Carlos Rivera bring the total of non-roster invitees to eight. Gipson, 32, spent most of the '04 season with Triple-A Durham, where he hit .296 with two homers and 27 RBIs over 96 games. He played in five games for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, recording two hits in four at-bats. In parts of seven big league seasons with Seattle (1998-02), the Yankees (2003) and Tampa Bay ('04), Gipson has a .239 average (74-for-310) with 14 doubles, seven triples, 15 stolen bases and 29 RBIs. Texarkana native Norton, 28, was 2-5 with a 5.07 ERA over 69 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2004. He walked 38 and struck out 48 over 65 2/3 innings. Over 92 career Major League appearances with the Cubs (2000, '03) and Reds ('04), Norton is 2-6 with a 5.07 ERA. Rivera, 26, hit .200 (3-for-15) with one RBI over seven games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2004. He spent most of the season with Triple-A Nashville, where he hit .292 (91-for-312) with 17 homers and 50 RBIs. Over 85 career games with the Pirates, Rivera has a .218 average with three homers and 11 RBIs. Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. http://houston.astros.mlb.com/NASAp...106&content_id=928329&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp Rivera kid is intresting since he is pretty young and left handed with decent power. Norton is decent and may make team.
