Ties run deep in Texas’ first family of baseball
But former Astros president Reid Ryan says he will root for names on back of jerseys in postseason matchup of state’s two MLB teams
Reid Ryan’s roots run deep with the Texas Rangers and Astros.
“Since 1980 my family has been involved continuously with either the Rangers or Astros,” Ryan said. “For over 40 years, we’ve created deep ties with both clubs that include players, front office and ownership.”
In the end, however, Ryan cheers for the names across the backs of jerseys instead of the geographically inclined ones on front.
“I’ve always rooted for people,” he said. “(So) it would be hard for me not to root for the guys who’ve played for the Round Rock Express the last few years.”
Ryan, a former team president of the Astros and son of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, who starred for both the Astros and Rangers, founded the minor league Express along with his father and Houston businessman Don Sanders in 2000. The Express are owned by Ryan Sanders Baseball.
The Triple-A franchise has been affiliated with both the Astros and Rangers, most recently the latter for the past three years. It’s large part why Reid Ryan intends to root on the Rangers in the American League Championship Series against the Astros, which starts on Sunday night in Minute Maid Park.
“My expectation is great baseball, energized fans and some epic moments this postseason,” Ryan said of the first playoff collision between the state’s two franchises.
Ryan, 51, is chief executive officer of Ryan Sanders Baseball, and his work travels have taken him to Houston, Austin and San Antonio visits in the past week. He said there’s one topic on Texans’ minds.
“Everywhere I’ve gone the last few days this series is all people are talking about,” said Ryan, who has homes in Houston and Austin where his businesses are established. “It’s really cool for growing the game in our state, and for baseball in general. It’s going to be an exciting
series to watch — both clubs have added pieces and are improved teams from when they met in the regular season.”
Ryan served as Astros president from 2013 to 2019, and then stayed with the franchise for another year as an executive adviser while Astros owner Jim Crane’s son, Jared Crane, moved into an executive role. Nolan Ryan also stepped down from an executive adviser role following Reid’s reassignment in 2019.
“I will not be back with the club and will leave it at that,” Nolan Ryan told Fox 26 at the time.
Reid, a husband and father of three young adults, has since been more than busy with Ryan Sanders Baseball, including the Express’s transition from the Astros to the Rangers in the winter of 2021. Reid said despite his untimely exit from the Astros he cherishes his role with the franchise, one including the Astros’ first World Series title in 2017.
“Getting to lead the Astros organization has been the highlight of my professional career,” he said. “I loved every minute of the experience.”
It’s why he also stayed positive throughout his departure from the Astros and in the years since — an upbeat approach Reid employs in all facets of his life.
“Every day we choose if the glass is half full or half empty,” Reid said. “I choose half full. While I wasn’t ready to leave the club, my departure doesn’t take away all the good things that came from my time with the Astros. My kids all graduated from Second Baptist School, and we love the community. My family has made lifelong friends in
Houston. I got to be a part of the first World Series champion in the club’s history.
“Life is about phases, and the Astros years were a great phase of life with good memories. Now I’m on to another great phase of life and new challenges, and the blessing is that God’s plan is always better than my plan.”
Reid served as an Astros batboy here and there while his dad pitched for the team from 1980-88, and his favorite memory was easy to recall — one also standing out to long-toothed Astros fans, as the New York Mets beat the Astros in six games of the 1986 National League Championship Series (including 16 innings in the series finale in the Astrodome 37 years ago on Sunday). The Astros shifted to the AL in 2013.
“It was an epic series, and the fans in New York were brutal to the Astros,” Reid recalled. “Being in the dugout and seeing the intensity of playoff baseball taught me how small the margin is for winning and losing. Most playoff series come down to a few key moments or at-bats. It’s why it’s must-watch TV — you never know who will be the hero.”