The modern-day Pacific Coast League is a massive enterprise consisting of 16 teams stretching from Tacoma and Portland in the Pacific Northwest to New Orleans of the Deep South. These are the teams our hometown nine will face throughout the long season. You must know the enemy!
The Team: Round Rock Express
The Location: Round Rock, Texas
Wait... Yeah, we're heading into the not-quite Pacific Coast teams. Round Rock is a suburb of Austin.
The MLB Affiliation: Houston Astros
The Website: RoundRockExpress.com
The Ballpark: Dell Diamond. Initially built in 2000 to house the Double-A version of the Express, expanded when the Edmonton Trappers moved south. Sitting in what used to be a cow pasture, Dell Diamond has all the bells and whistles, including a game room and climbing rock.
The History: At one point, the PCL had three teams in Canada. This one used to be based in Edmonton, before the Ryan-Sanders group (that would be Nolan Ryan and son Reid) moved the team to Texas. That replaced the Texas League version of the Express, which itself used to be the Jackson Generals as recently as 1999.The Double-A club moved to Corpus Christi, and is home to the unspeakable Rusty the Hook.
The Name: Nolan Ryan's fastball was called the Express. Pretty cool actually.
The Prospects: Hunter Pence, Juan Gutierez and not much else.