Corpus Christi Hooks

Corpus Christi Hooks Founded in 2005 Corpus Christi, Texas
Team Logo Cap Insignia
Class-level
Double-A
Minor league affiliations
Texas League (2005–present) South Division
Major league affiliations
Houston Astros (1991–present) New York Mets (1968–1990)
Name
Corpus Christi Hooks (2005–present) Round Rock Express (2000–2004) Jackson Generals (1991–1999) Jackson Mets (1975–1990) Victoria Toros (1974) Memphis Blues (1968–1973)
Ballpark
Whataburger Field (2005–present) Dell Diamond
Minor league titles
League titles	2006
Division titles	2006
Owner(s)/Operated by: Ryan-Sanders Baseball
Manager: Tom Lawless
General Manager: Michael Wood

The Corpus Christi Hooks are a minor league baseball team of the Texas League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team's ownership group is headed by Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan; the team's CEO, Reid Ryan, is Nolan's oldest son. The Hooks play their home games at Whataburger Field, which opened in 2005 and is located on Corpus Christi's waterfront.

Franchise history

The history of the Hooks' franchise dates all the way back to 1968, when it got its start in the Texas League as the Memphis Blues. That club won the league crown twice, in 1969 and 1973. In 1974, the franchise moved to Victoria, Texas, where it captured the league title in its lone season as the Toros. The following year, 1975, the club found itself in Jackson, Mississippi, where it would remain for the next 25 seasons, first as the Mets (1975-1990) then as the Generals (1991-1999). The franchise enjoyed tremendous success on the field during that quarter-century, qualifying for the playoffs 13 times and winning the TL championship on five occasions (1981, 1984, 1985, 1993 and 1996). During one incredible stretch (1980-1987), Jackson dominated the league, making it to eight consecutive post-seasons.^[1]

Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and his group stepped in following the 1998 season and acquired the franchise, moving it from Jackson to Round Rock in time for the 2000 season. True to the winning history of the franchise, the Round Rock Express, led by the likes of Morgan Ensberg and Roy Oswalt, powered their way to the Texas League title in that first season at The Dell Diamond. The Express, which shattered league attendance records throughout their five-year run, also qualified for post-season play in four of those five seasons.^[2]

The Move to Corpus Christi

The move of the franchise from Round Rock to Corpus Christi following the 2004 season was made possible when the owners of the Express, Ryan Sanders Baseball, acquired the Triple-A franchise in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and announced their intention to move the club to Round Rock. That paved the way for the Double-A franchise to relocate to the Gulf Coast of Texas.^[3] The team's colors are navy blue and light blue, representing the ocean and sky of the popular South Texas fishing area. The team mascots are Sammy the Seagull and Rusty Hook. The Hooks have played every home game since the move to Corpus Christi at Whataburger Field.

2006 Championship Team

One of the most exciting moments in the team's history was an appearance by Roger Clemens on June 11, 2006, as he prepared for his return to the Astros. Clemens' start attracted nationwide attention and a record crowd of 9,022. Clemens struck out 11 batters in 6 innings on his way to the victory. Tickets were being sold on Ebay for up to $230.

On September 14, 2006, in a wild 5 hour 14 inning marathon, the Corpus Christi Hooks eclipsed the Wichita Wranglers, 8–7, clinching the third and decisive game to defeat Wichita 3 games to 1 in the best of five series to win the 2006 Texas League Championship. This marked the first time a Corpus Christi franchise has won the TL Championship since the 1958 Corpus Christi Giants. Manager Dave Clark was named 2006 Texas League Manager of The Year and pitcher Matt Albers was named 2006 Texas League Pitcher of the Year.

Post Championship

On June 25, 2007, Whataburger Field played host to the 2007 installment of the Texas League All-Star Game. Seven hooks players were invited to play on the squad. From 2005 to 2010, the Hooks have graduated 29 players to the major leagues and have had another 31 players with big-league experience wear the Corpus Christi uniform. From 2005 to 2010, a total of 163 men have played for the Hooks.^[4]

Noteable Hooks that played in the Major Leagues

A number of Hooks players have been called up to the major leagues since the team has been in Corpus Christi. These include Charlton Jimerson, Héctor Giménez and J. R. House, Matt Albers, Fernando Nieve, Chris Sampson, Jason Hirsh, Hunter Pence, Jason Castro, Chris Johnson, Jose Altuve, Fernando Abad, Arcenio León, and Philip Barzilla.

Rivalry with Missions

Since the Hooks inaugural season they have been the chief rivals of the San Antonio Missions. The main point of the rivalry is to determine who is the better team of South Texas. Recently the Hooks have stated on their website that they are the "Baseball Capital of South Texas". The Corpus Christi Hooks parent club is Texas's own Houston Astros, while The Missions parent club is California's San Diego Padres.

Roster

Corpus Christi Hooks rosterview · talk · edit
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 17 Erick Abreu 45 Jonnathan Aristil 20 Paul Clemens 23 Jarred Cosart 22 Chris Hicks 16 Brad James 28 Blake King * 39 Arcenio Leon * 44 Daniel Meszaros 37 Brett Oberholtzer 30 Ross Seaton 33 Jason Stoffel 19 Henry Villar * 26 Josh Zeid		Catchers 41 Brian Esposito 32 Emerson Frostad 15 Chris Wallace Infielders 13 David Flores 40 Kody Hinze 11 Wladimir Sutil 25 James Van Ostrand 21 Jonathan Villar  2 Brandon Wikoff Outfielders  6 Brandon Barnes  4 Jon Gaston  8 T.J. Steele		Manager 18 Tom Lawless Coaches 38 Don Alexander (pitching) 12 John Moses (hitting) 7-day disabled list * On Houston Astros 40-man roster ∞ Reserve list § Suspended list ‡ Restricted list # Rehab assignment Roster updated August 6, 2011 Transactions → More rosters

References

1. ^ http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/team3/page.jsp?ymd=20100121&content_id=7947608&vkey=team3_t482&fext=.jsp&sid=t482
2. ^ http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/team3/page.jsp?ymd=20100121&content_id=7947608&vkey=team3_t482&fext=.jsp&sid=t482
3. ^ http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/team3/page.jsp?ymd=20100121&content_id=7947608&vkey=team3_t482&fext=.jsp&sid=t482
4. ^ http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/team3/page.jsp?ymd=20100121&content_id=7947608&vkey=team3_t482&fext=.jsp&sid=t482

External links

Texas portal

• Official Corpus Christi Hooks website