Mouton was drafted by the Astros in the 7th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft as a second baseman. He advanced rapidly through their farm system, and was already playing at Triple-A with the Tucson Toros in 1993. That year, he won the Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player award after batting .315 with 16 home runs, 92 RBI, and 40 stolen bases.\n', '

In 1994, Mouton made his major league debut as the Astros\' Opening Day right fielder and leadoff hitter. Although he had never played the outfield in the minor leagues, he fielded reasonably well, finishing 7th in the National League in defensive Wins above replacement. He played in every game that season until the 1994-95 strike ended the season in August, appearing at all three outfield positions. He also finished 10th in the NL in stolen bases with 24.\n', '

During the next two seasons, Mouton continued to play semi-regularly for the Astros, playing in over 100 games each year. His statistics remained fairly consistent, batting .262 with 4 home runs, 27 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 1995, and batting .263 with 3 home runs, 34 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 1996. In 1997, however, his batting average dipped to .211, and he managed just 9 steals in 80 games. He was traded during the offseason to the Padres for pitcher Sean Bergman.\n', '

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