Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express Founded in 1979 Round Rock, Texas
Team logo Cap insignia
Class-level
Current	Triple-A (2005–present)
Minor league affiliations
League	Pacific Coast League (2005–present)
Conference	American Conference
Division	Southern Division
Major league affiliations
Current	Texas Rangers (2011–present)
Previous	Houston Astros (2005–2010) Montreal Expos (2003–2004) Minnesota Twins (2001–2002) Anaheim Angels (1999–2000) Oakland Athletics (1995–1998) Florida Marlins (1993–1994) California Angels (1983–1992) Chicago White Sox (1981–1982) Oakland Athletics (1979–1980)
Minor league titles
League titles (4)	1984 1996 1997 2002
Conference titles (2)	2006 2015
Division titles (11)	1984 1990 1996 1997 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2011 2015
Team data
Nickname	Round Rock Express (2005–present)
Previous names	Edmonton Trappers (1981–2004) Ogden A's (1979–1980)
Colors	Blue, red, white, silver
Mascot	Spike
Ballpark	Dell Diamond (2005–present)
Previous parks	Telus Field (1995–2004) John Ducey Park (1981–1994)
Owner(s)/ Operator(s)	Ryan-Sanders Baseball
Manager	Jason Wood
General Manager	Chris Almendariz

The Round Rock Express are a class Triple-A Pacific Coast League minor league baseball team in Round Rock, Texas,^[1] owned by RSR Sports (Nolan Ryan, Don Sanders, Reid Ryan) and founded by Reid Ryan, son of Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.^[2] The team is affiliated with the Texas Rangers.^[3] Home games for the Round Rock Express are played at the Dell Diamond, a facility that is owned by the City of Round Rock and leased long-term to RSR Sports, who run and maintain the facility.^[4] The team is named after the senior Ryan's pitcher nickname, "The Ryan Express".^[5]

Franchise

The Round Rock Express play home games at the Dell Diamond

The Ryan group purchased the PCL Edmonton Trappers franchise in 2003 with the intention of moving the team to Round Rock after the 2004 season. At that time, the Trappers were affiliated with the Montreal Expos. The Express group wanted to maintain its affiliation with the Astros at the Round Rock site; therefore, the Trappers/Express franchise exchanged major league affiliates after the 2004 season with the New Orleans Zephyrs. Several weeks after this switch, the Expos announced their move to Washington, D.C. as the Washington Nationals. In terms of players on the roster, the 2005 Round Rock Express contained a mixture of players from the 2004 New Orleans Zephyrs (players that stayed at Triple-A) and the 2004 Round Rock Express (promoted from Double-A); the 2004 Edmonton Trappers players were either playing as New Orleans Zephyrs or Washington Nationals.

An Express game in the Dell Diamond at night

The original Express franchise has remained under Ryan ownership. After the purchase of the Triple-A PCL franchise, the Ryans announced that the Double-A Texas League club would move to Corpus Christi, Texas, for the 2005 season. That franchise remains the Double-A affiliate of the Astros as the Corpus Christi Hooks.

In 2006, two seasons after moving from Edmonton, the Round Rock Express clinched the Southern Division of the league's American Conference with a win–loss record of 85–59. After defeating the Nashville Sounds in five games to take the American Conference championship, they advanced to the PCL Championship Series, but lost to the Tucson Sidewinders in three straight games.

In 2012, Forbes ranked the Express as the second most valuable franchise in Minor League Baseball.^[6]

Year-by-year win-loss records

• 2000: 83–57
• 2001: 86–54
• 2002: 75–65
• 2003: 46–94
• 2004: 86–54
• 2005: 74–70
• 2006: 85–59
• 2007: 61–81
• 2008: 64–79
• 2009: 63–81
• 2010: 57–87
• 2011: 87–57
• 2012: 69-75
• 2013: 73-71^[7]

Notable alumni

• Josh Banks, MLB pitcher
• Jason Hirsh, MLB pitcher
• Roy Oswalt, MLB pitcher
• John Buck, MLB catcher
• Humberto Quintero, MLB catcher
• Taylor Teagarden, MLB catcher
• Hunter Pence, MLB outfielder
• Craig Gentry, MLB outfielder
• Willy Taveras, MLB outfielder
• Chris Davis, MLB first baseman
• Morgan Ensberg, MLB third baseman

Roster

Round Rock Express roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 44 Anthony Carter 56 Andrew Faulkner * 46 Carlos Fisher 21 Chi Chi Gonzalez * 58 Jefri Hernandez 77 Luke Jackson * 48 Phil Klein * 10 Nick Martinez * 27 Francisco Mendoza 43 Jose Monegro 36 Jimmy Reyes 29 Michael Roth 45 Chad Smith 23 Nick Tepesch		Catchers  3 Patrick Cantwell 11 Michael McKenry 22 Brett Nicholas * Infielders  7 Doug Bernier 15 Pedro Ciriaco 14 Ike Davis 13 Joey Gallo * 18 Patrick Kivlehan * 19 Jurickson Profar * 33 Drew Robinson -- Russell Wilson ‡ Outfielders 30 Jared Hoying  9 James Jones 25 Justin Ruggiano  5 Ryan Strausborger		Manager 40 Jason Wood Coaches -- Greg Hibbard (pitching) 12 Geno Petralli (field) -- Jim Presley (hitting) 7-day disabled list * On Texas Rangers 40-man roster # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list † Temporary inactive list Roster updated May 7, 2016 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → Texas Rangers minor league players

On camera

• A majority of scenes from the 2002 Disney film The Rookie, directed by John Lee Hancock, starring Dennis Quaid and Rachel Griffiths were shot around and inside the Dell Diamond in Round Rock. It is inspired by the true story of Jim Morris, who had a brief but famous Major League Baseball career.^[8]

• The Simple Life is a reality television series that was broadcast from December 2, 2003 to August 5, 2007. The first three seasons aired on Fox, and the final two on E!. The comedic show depicts two wealthy young socialites (Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie) as they struggle to do manual, low-paying jobs such as cleaning rooms, doing farm work, serving meals in fast-food restaurants and working as camp counselors. Season 2, Episode 15 took place during a Round Rock Express baseball game.^[9]

• The team made headlines in 2010 when it "signed" Billy Ray "Rojo" Johnson, described in a press release as an East Texan who grew up in Venezuela and had run-ins with the law. In reality, Johnson was actor Will Ferrell, who briefly took the mound at Dell Diamond to promote his nearby charity golf tournament.^[10]

References

1. "Official Site of Minor League Baseball and the Round Rock Express". Retrieved July 5, 2010.
2. Jacobs, Janet (14 January 2011). "Dell Roots, Roots, Roots for the Home Team". Austin American-Statesman.
3. Garrett (Sports Editor), Jon (August 6, 2010). "Ryan victory felt in Round Rock". Round Rock Leader.
4. "The Dell Diamond". 16 April 2005.
5. "NOLAN RYAN, THE MAN: Profile, History, Facts and Figures". C&D Publishers. 1998. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
6. "How Billionaires Like Warren Buffett Profit From Minor League Baseball Ownership " Forbes. Retrieved on 6 June 2012.
7. "2013 Round Rock Express Season Notes" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2014.
8. "The Rookie - 2002". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
9. List provided by the Texas Film Commission: Katie Kelley, Office Manager - Texas Film Commission, Email, July 23, 2009
10. MLB.com, "Will Ferrell pitches, entertains in Round Rock", May 7, 2010.

External links

• Official Round Rock Express website