Round Rock Express Announces 10th Anniversary 10-Year Team
March 12, 2009 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release
AUSTIN - On the eve of opening its 10th Anniversary Season, the Round Rock Express has unveiled the Round Rock Express 10th Anniversary 10-Year Team.
With less than a month remaining until Round Rock's opener against Iowa, Express founder and CEO Reid Ryan announced at a press conference at Threadgill's near downtown Austin the final tally from online voting on the 10-Year Team and the Honorable Mention 10-Year Team.
More than 10,000 online votes were cast over a 60-day period, ranging from local spots such as Pflugerville, Georgetown, Westlake, Giddings and San Marcos to as far away as Reykjavik, Iceland and Osaka, Japan.
In the end, the final fan choices for the Round Rock Express 10th Anniversary 10-Year Team include: Roy Oswalt (RHP), Brad Lidge (RHP), Humberto Quintero (C), Mark Saccomanno (1B), Brooks Conrad (2B), David Matranga (SS), Mike Coolbaugh (3B), Luke Scott (OF), Willy Taveras (OF) and Hunter Pence (OF).
All 10 players will be honored throughout Round Rock's 2009 campaign and will be emblazoned on a limited edition medallion coin set (3,000) that will be distributed during select home games.
"Entering our 10th season, we wanted the fans to tell us who had been the best in their eyes," Ryan said. "We've had more than 220 players were the Express uniform and we've had more than six million fans pass through The Dell Diamond. This is the perfect way to honor what the players and the fans have done for and with us."
Members of the nine-man Honorable Mention 10-Year Team include: Travis Driskill (RHP), J.R. House (C), Royce Huffman (1B), Chris Burke (2B), Cody Ransom (SS), Morgan Ensberg (3B), Jason Lane (OF), Josh Anderson (OF) and Joe McEwing (OF).
Round Rock Express 10th Anniversary 10-Year Team
Roy Oswalt, RHP
Before beginning his Major League career with the Houston Astros in 2000, Oswalt posted an 11-4 record with a 1.94 ERA with the Express. He fanned a team-high 141 batters against just 22 walks, held Texas League hitters to a .216 batting average and tossed a pair of complete games.
Brad Lidge, RHP
Lidge needed just 10 games to make a lasting impact on Express fans. Over the 2001 and 2002 seasons, the Notre Dame alum struck out 60 batters over 37 innings of work. He was promoted to Houston and debuted on April 26. Over the next four seasons, Lidge piled up 104 saves and 461 strikeouts.
Humberto Quintero, C
With nearly 220 games of service behind the plate for the Express, Quintero has earned his spot among the longest-tenured Round Rock players. He's worked parts of the last four seasons at The Dell Diamond, hitting a career-best .333 in 53 games in 2007.
Mark Saccomanno, 1B
A native of Houston and Baylor alum, Saccomanno has led the Express in multiple offensive categories since joining the team for the 2007 season. He batted .297 with a career-best 27 home runs and 167 total runs produced in 2008 while anchoring first and third base. Saccomanno also shattered the single-season Express hit record with 157 last year.
Brooks Conrad, 2B
For all of the work he put in during his time with the Express - a franchise-record 519 games in all - Conrad holds on to nearly 20 single-game, single-season and career batting records with Round Rock. The primary second baseman hit .290 with 38 doubles for the Double-A Express in 2004 and cranked out a franchise-record 40 doubles and 79 extra-base hits in 2006.
David Matranga, SS
The Pepperdine alum hunkered down in the middle infield for Round Rock's opening season, flashing dedicated defense. He batted .302 in 2001 before jumping to Triple-A and appeared in 112 games for the Express in 2004, less than a year after his Major League debut. Known for his fan-friendliness, Matranga was known to venture into the stands at The Dell Diamond even when wearing other Pacific Coast League uniforms.
Mike Coolbaugh, 3B
Coolbaugh made a point of putting his family before the game, an enduring trait that left its mark on Express fans. Named Round Rock's Most Valuable Player for his tremendous year at the plate in 2005, Coolbaugh broke bones in his left hand twice in 2005 and 2006 before retiring. He went on to coach for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers before being fatally struck in the neck by a line drive while coaching first base. Coolbaugh died on July 22, 2007 at the age of 35.
Luke Scott, OF
Often undervalued early in his career, Scott still holds the Express single-season Triple-A record for home runs in a season with 31 in 2005. He remains one of the more successful major league players to have moved on from Round Rock, logging nearly 400 innings in the big leagues, including full seasons in Houston in 2007 and Baltimore in 2008.
Hunter Pence, OF
Pence played in just 25 games at Round Rock, skyrocketing from Double-A Corpus Christi as the organization's top prospect from 2006-2007. He has proven it wasn't luck, nearly winning the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2007 and hitting .336 in the majors since his debut.
Willy Taveras, OF
Taveras was one of the most highly touted Astros prospects of all time, and like Pence, his stay in Round Rock was short lived. Taveras tore through Texas League pitching in 2004, and has put together a respectable Major League career over five seasons, hitting .283 and helping the Colorado Rockies to a World Series berth in 2007.
Honorable Mention 10-Year Team
Travis Driskill, RHP
Driksill pitched in more than 1,700 innings over 15 professional seasons, three of which he shared with the Express. Laid back and demure with fans and respected in the clubhouse, Driskill made the most of his final two years in baseball. He appeared in 96 games with Round Rock between 2006-2007, posting 24 saves and fanning 121 batters on just 29 walks. A Round Rock resident, Driskill now serves as pitching coach in the Astros' minor league system.
J.R. House, C
The former West Virginia quarterback spent 2006 and 2008 with Round Rock, batting .412 and .306 respectively. House added 25 runs with 36 RBI in 31 games in 2006, and returned in 2008 to blast 18 home runs and 25 doubles. He was called up to Houston during both stints with the Express.
Royce Huffman, 1B
Despite a series of injuries, Huffman appeared in 495 games over parts of five seasons with Round Rock, most notably batting .322 for the 2002 season. A utility fielder, Huffman drew 50 or more walks three times and racked up 275 runs with the Express.
Chris Burke, 2B
Over parts of six seasons with Round Rock, Burke manned the middle infield, trolled the outfield and proved himself to be a scoring threat. He posted 88 runs and 41 RBI in 2003 before his Major League debut in 2004. He returned over parts of the next three seasons in conditioning and rehab roles as he worked in more than 330 games with Houston.
Cody Ransom, SS
If Ransom had played just one more season at Round Rock, he very well may have held a few all-time franchise records. In two seasons, he tallied up 49 home runs and 152 RBI. He and Brooks Conrad formed a potent double play combo up the middle - one that was as good at scoring runs as it was taking them away.
Morgan Ensberg, 3B
The enigmatic Ensberg made two stops in Round Rock, one on the fast track to the big leagues in 2000, and another when his career was slowed by injuries. His 28 home run season in 2000 foreshadowed a career that would include one of the greatest single seasons by an Astros position player - the 2005 season in which he hit 36 home runs and knocked in 101 RBI, and a vital role in that World Series season.
Jason Lane, OF
Lane is another player that many fans and experts have always thought was undervalued by the baseball establishment. In his time at Round Rock, Lane had a penchant for coming up with big hits when the Express was in a bind. His .546 slugging percentage in 2007 was one of the best of his career.
Josh Anderson, OF
The speed demon from Kentucky had a knack for swiping bases, posting 40 steals in 2007 - a single-season record for Round Rock. Anderson has made a mark in his young major league career, hitting .315 over two seasons for the Astros and the Atlanta Braves.
Joe McEwing, OF
McEwing has been a fan favorite everywhere he has played, and the former 28th round selection of the St. Louis Cardinals won over Round Rock with his incredible work ethic, endless motor and fan-friendly nature. He played just one season with the Express, but left a lasting mark after hitting a franchise single-season record of .315 at the age of 33.
* - Members of the Round Rock Express 10th Anniversary 10-Year Team and Honorable Mention 10-Year Team were selected by fans through the Express website. Polling ran for a period of 60 days.
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