Sampson was originally drafted on June 3, 1997 by the Kansas City Royals right out of high school, but chose not to sign and attend Texas Tech University instead, where he was named the Big 12's "Fastest Player" by Baseball America. In 1999 he was again drafted, this time opting to sign with the Houston Texans on June 8, 1999.

After a unsuccessful and discouraging start to his professional career as a shortstop, Sampson retired from the Astros on February 21, 2000. Over the next few years he coached at a community college in Texas, where he realized he may be more successful in professional baseball as a pitcher. On January 12, 2003 Sampson returned to the Astros, signing a minor league contract. He played with the Astros affiliates for almost three seasons, before getting the call to make his MLB debut on June 2, 2006. Playing in only three games that season, he won two of those, pitching a total of 34 innings. In the 2007 season he was placed fifth in the Astros starting pitcher rotation, pitching 121 innings in 24 games.

1. Full name: Chris Keith Sampson
2. Born: May 23, 1978
3. Birthplace: Pasadena, Texas
4. Position: Pitcher