Astros reunite with Round Rock
Express become Houston’s Triple-A affiliate; switch puts Ryan family under one roof again.
The Ryan fam
ROUND ROCK — ily is back under the same baseball roof again.
At a news conference Thursday, the Round Rock Express ended speculation and officially announced a new player development contract with the Hous- ton Astros.
Round Rock will be the Triple-A affiliate of the 2017 World Series champions.
“It’s going to make Thanksgiving a lot more fun,” joked Reese Ryan, the Express CEO.
Ryan’s father, Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, was on hand for the announcement, along with brother Reid Ryan, the Astros’ president of business operations.
“I don’t think it’s been a secret,” Reid Ryan said. “I think everybody has kind of known we were going to try to come back over here.”
The agreement is officially for four years, the longest allowed by Major League Baseball, but Reid Ryan said the intention is to make the partnership last long into the future.
“I don’t see why it won’t be a long, long time,” he said “Maybe forever — you never know. We’re going to be an Astros club here hopefully for as long as I’m around.”
The Express also revealed new branding, including a logo and four uniforms for 2019, in front of about 700 season ticket holders, sponsors and members of the media. They’ll return to their original navy, red and silver color scheme, with the Astros’ bright yellow and orange incorporated into a 20-year commemorative logo.
The new brand was created by California firm Brandiose.
The club will wear all-white
home uniforms and all-gray away uniforms. White with navy pinstripes and a navy top with white pants are the alternate options.
The Express has been an affiliate of the Texas Rangers since 2011. Founded in 2000, the Round Rock club began as Houston’s Double-A franchise before becoming the Triple-A affiliate for Houston from 2005 to 2010.
In eight seasons with the Rangers, the club had an overall record of 579-560. In 2015, Round Rock came within one win of the Pacific Coast League championship. Despite a last-place season in 2018, the Express posted the second-highest attendance in minor league baseball with an average of 8,842 fans passing through the gates.
“We were great with the process and wanted to make sure we fulfilled our contract with the Texas Rangers,” Express President Chris Almendarez said. “I’m glad the Astros wanted to be with us, and I think the relationship we have is going to be good for a long time.”
The 2019 Express season will begin April 9 with a three-game series against the Nashville Sounds, the team that was recently unveiled as the new Triple-A affiliate for the Rangers.
For the past four seasons, the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate has been the Fresno Grizzlies. That team won the PCL championship in 2015 and made the championship series this season.
In the end, the allure of bringing the Ryan brothers back together and linking up with the defending World Series champions was too good to pass up.
“It’s just a no-brainer; it made too much sense,” Express General Manager Tim Jackson said. “Every level of (the Astros) went to the playoffs this year. To be able to bring the brand of baseball the Astros have right now means a lot to us.”