The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Ba ...

(PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in

Round Rock, Texas Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of the 2020 census. The city straddles the Ba ...

, and play their home games at the

Dell Diamond Dell Diamond is the home stadium of the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Texas Rangers major league baseball team. On April 16, 2000, the then- Double-A affiliate Express played their first home game at t ...

. The team is named for

Baseball Hall of Famer The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-re ...

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

, who was nicknamed "The Ryan Express." Ryan, along with son

Reid Ryan Reid Ryan (born November 21, 1971) is an American baseball executive, former college and professional baseball player, and son of Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. He was a pitcher in minor league baseball, and currently serves as the C ...

and Don Sanders make up the team's ownership group, Ryan Sanders Baseball. The Express were established as a Double-A team of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

(TL) in 2000. They won the Texas League championship in 2000. Round Rock was replaced by a Triple-A Pacific Coast League team in 2005. The Triple-A Express carried on the history of the Double-A team that preceded them. With

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Express were shifted to the

Triple-A West The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League ...

, which was renamed the PCL in 2022.

History

The ownership group led by Nolan Ryan and Don Sanders began its operations in Round Rock in 2000 as the

opened, moving the Double-A

's Jackson Generals to the new park, affiliating with the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

and setting attendance records for the Double-A level. By 2003, Corpus Christi had offered the Ryan-Sanders group $20 million to build a stadium and move a professional franchise there, and the ownership group was convinced Round Rock could support Triple-A baseball. Dell Diamond DM

Meanwhile, the

's Edmonton Trappers franchise, left isolated by the departure of the

Calgary Cannons The Calgary Cannons were a minor league baseball team located in Calgary, Alberta, for 18 seasons, from 1985 until 2002. They were a member of the AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL) and played at Foothills Stadium. The Cannons displaced the Cal ...

after the 2002 season for Albuquerque, was under pressure from the rest of the league to relocate to the United States. After the 2003 season, the Ryan group purchased the Trappers franchise with plans to relocate that franchise to Round Rock for 2005, once the Corpus Christi stadium would be ready for the Double-A franchise. The Triple-A club would carry on the Round Rock Express identity; the Double-A club would become the Corpus Christi Hooks, and the Ryan group was able to negotiate an affiliation swap with the

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

to obtain the Astros' Triple-A affiliation for the newly-arriving PCL club. In 2006, 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 The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the city's association with the music indus ...

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 2011, after 6 seasons of serving as the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, and 11 seasons of being affiliated with the Astros overall, the Express became the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Through the end of the 2018 season, attendance figures have dropped 8% since changing affiliations from Houston to Texas (see table below). Each of the top 9 season attendances all occurred in the 11 seasons the team was affiliated with Houston. In 2016, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' listed the Express as the sixth-most valuable Minor League Baseball team with a value of $40 million. On September 20, 2018, the Express announced a 4-year Player Development Contract with the Houston Astros. In conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minors after the 2020 season, the Astros opted to discontinue their affiliation with Round Rock, leaving them in need of a new major league affiliate. The Express later re-affiliated with the Texas Rangers for 2021 and were organized into the

. Round Rock ended the season tied for second place in the Eastern Division with a 61–58 record. No playoffs were held to determine a league champion; instead, the team with the best regular-season record was declared the winner. However, 10 games that had been postponed from the start of the season were reinserted into the schedule as a postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch in which all 30 Triple-A clubs competed for the highest winning percentage. Round Rock finished the tournament tied for seventh place with a 6–4 record. In 2022, the Triple-A West became known as the Pacific Coast League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.

Season-by-season records

Dell Diamond attendance

;Season average attendance ;Attendance ranking by affiliation (through 2018)

Roster

Notable alumni

Josh Banks Joshua Charles Banks (born July 18, 1982) is a former American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 2007 and 2010 for the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, and Houston Astros. He is 6'3" tall and weig ...

(born 1982), MLB pitcher * Richard Bleier (born 1987), MLB pitcher * John Buck, MLB catcher *

Roger Clemens William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Clemens was one of the most dominant pi ...

(born 1962), MLB pitcher * Chris Davis, MLB first baseman * Morgan Ensberg, MLB third baseman *

Mike Gallo Michael Dwain Gallo (born April 2, 1977) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. Biography He debuted for the Houston Astros on July 2, . Careerwise with the Astros, he was 4-3 with an ERA of 4.11. He attended Long Beach State. In , ...

, MLB pitcher * Craig Gentry, MLB outfielder * Keith Ginter, MLB onfielder * Jason Hirsh, MLB pitcher *

Roy Oswalt Roy Edward Oswalt (; born August 29, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Oswalt played for the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Houston Astros. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texa ...

, MLB pitcher *

Humberto Quintero Humberto Jose Quintero (born August 2, 1979) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 2003 to 2014 most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros. He also playe ...

, MLB catcher * Taylor Teagarden, MLB catcher *

Hunter Pence Hunter Andrew Pence (born April 13, 1983), nicknamed "The Reverend", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, ...

, MLB outfielder * Willy Taveras, MLB outfielder *

José Urquidy José Luis Hernández Urquidy (born May 1, 1995) is a Mexican professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). Urquidy signed with the Astros as an international free agent in 2015 under the name of José Lui ...

, MLB pitcher

Popular culture

The "Play Ball" episode of '' The Simple Life'', a reality television series starring young wealthy socialites

Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad ...

and

Nicole Richie Nicole Camille Richie (; born September 21, 1981) is an American television personality, fashion designer, socialite, and actress. She came to prominence after appearing in the reality television series '' The Simple Life'' (2003–2007), in whi ...

, took place during an Express game. The show aired on July 21, 2004, as the 15th episode of the show's second season. 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.
MLB.com, "Will Ferrell pitches, entertains in Round Rock", May 7, 2010.

References

External links

Official website
{{Texas sports Round Rock Express, Pacific Coast League teams Texas League teams Sports in Austin, Texas Professional baseball teams in Texas Texas Rangers minor league affiliates Houston Astros minor league affiliates Baseball teams established in 2000 Round Rock, Texas 2000 establishments in Texas Triple-A West teams