After the 1993 season, the Houston Astros fired manager Art Howe because the owner did not favor Howe's "deliberate style." Astros General Manager Bob Watson replaced him with Collins, who never had a losing season in his three years there. The Astros finished second all three years. He was dismissed at the end of the 1996 season, after the Astros suffered a late-season collapse. In 1995, Collins was a coach at the All-Star Game. He finished his Astros career with a 224–197 record.