It’s official, Astros and Express fans! The Houston Astros will return to the Sports Capital of Texas and the Round Rock Express as their Triple-A affiliate team in 2019.
The 2017 World Series champions have entered into a four-year player development agreement with the Round Rock Express, with plans to continue the partnership well into the future.
“I don’t see why it won’t be a long, long time,” said Reid Ryan, the Astros’ president of business operations. “Maybe forever — you never know. We’re going to be an Astros club here hopefully for as long as I’m around.”
The Express was an affiliate of the Texas Rangers from 2011 to 2018. The Round Rock club, founded in 2010, started as Houston’s Double-A franchise before becoming their Triple-A affiliate from 2005 to 2010.
With the reunion of the Express and the Astros comes new branding, uniforms and a 20-year commemorative logo featuring the Astros’ yellow and orange color scheme, so mark your calendars for the start of the 2019 season! The Express will face off against the Nashville Sounds – the new Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers – on April 9 at the Dell Diamond.
Round Rock and the Dell Diamond are regularly honored as top contenders for minor league baseball towns and baseball parks. During the 2018 season, the Express recorded the second-highest attendance in minor league baseball with an average of 8,842 fans attending. The field was also featured in AMC’s popular television series, “Fear the Walking Dead,” with filming taking place during the 2017-2018 off-season.