Frisco RoughRiders

Frisco RoughRiders
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassDouble-A (2003–present)
LeagueTexas League (2003–present)
DivisionSouth Division
Major league affiliations
TeamTexas Rangers (2003–present)
Minor league titles
League titles (2)
  • 2004
  • 2022
Division titles (6)
  • 2003
  • 2004
  • 2008
  • 2012
  • 2021
  • 2022
First-half titles (7)
  • 2003
  • 2007
  • 2008
  • 2010
  • 2012
  • 2014
  • 2024
Second-half titles (4)
  • 2004
  • 2008
  • 2014
  • 2022
Wild card berths (1)
  • 2011
Team data
NameFrisco RoughRiders (2003–present)
ColorsScorched red, slate blue, Texas navy, cream
       
BallparkRiders Field (2003–present)
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
Greenberg Sports Group
General managerScott Burchett
ManagerCarlos Cardoza
Websitemilb.com/frisco

The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named after the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish–American War, headed by future American President Theodore Roosevelt, nicknamed "The Rough Riders" by the American press. They play their home games at Riders Field, which opened in 2003 and seats 10,316 people.[1]

The RoughRiders have served as an affiliate of the Rangers since their establishment in 2003 as members of the Texas League. They moved to the Double-A Central in 2021, but this was renamed the Texas League in 2022. Frisco has reached the postseason on seven occasions. They have won five division titles and two league championships. Their first Texas League title was won in 2004, and the RoughRiders secured their second title in 2022.

History

[edit]

In 2001, the Texas League's Shreveport SwampDragons (previously the Shreveport Captains) of Shreveport, Louisiana, were purchased by Mandalay Entertainment in connection with Tom Hicks, former owner of the Texas Rangers and the Southwest Sports Group.[2] Mandalay Baseball moved them to the North Texas city of Frisco and changed their name to the RoughRiders. The team would play at Dr Pepper Ballpark, a newly constructed stadium, and be the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

The RoughRiders played their first home game on April 3, 2003. The game was a sellout with over 10,000 fans in attendance. They qualified for the Texas League playoffs in their inaugural season by winning the first-half title, 40–30.[3] They advanced past the Wichita Wranglers before being defeated by the San Antonio Missions, four games to one, in the finals.[4] Frisco saw 675,620 fans come through the turnstiles at Dr Pepper Ballpark, which ranked fourth overall in all of minor league attendance.

Frisco playing against the Midland RockHounds in June 2017

The 'Riders finished off a remarkable second-half run and clinched the 2004 second-half Eastern Division title at home with a 45–25 record.[3] They defeated the Tulsa Drillers to win the Eastern Division title and moved on to face the Round Rock Express, winners of the Western Division in the championship series. Frisco beat the Express, four games to one, and captured its first Texas League championship in just its second year of existence.[4]

Frisco hosted the 2005 Texas League All-Star Game in which Andre Ethier lead the East All-Stars over the West, 5–0, with a key RBI-single. On July 28, 2005, A. J. Murray, Steve Karsay, and Scott Feldman combined to pitch a perfect game for the RoughRiders against the Corpus Christi Hooks in Corpus Christi. The final score was 3–0.[5] They finished the season with a 58–82 record.

Pitchers Thomas Diamond and John Danks, infielder Adam Morissey, and outfielder Anthony Webster were selected for the 2006 Texas League All-Star Game. The 'Riders finished the season in third place with a 72–68 record.

Frisco returned to postseason play in 2007 by virtue of winning the first-half title, 47–23, but were defeated in the first round by San Antonio, three games to none.[3] Their final 2007 season record was 85–55, the best ever in RoughRiders' history. First-year Manager Dave Anderson was named Texas League Manager of the Year, the first such honor for a Frisco manager. Baseball America selected Frisco as the 2007 Bob Freitas Award winner for the top Double-A franchise.

The RoughRiders defeated the Texas Rangers in a preseason exhibition game on March 29, 2008. On May 18, Matt Harrison tossed a 2–0 7-inning no-hitter against the San Antonio Missions at Dr. Pepper Ballpark.[5] The team once again captured the first-half division title, 43–27, but also won the second-half title, 41–29, with an overall record of 84–56. They swept San Antonio to win the South Division, but fell to the Arkansas Travelers, 3–2, in the championship finals.[3] Frisco manager Scott Little won the league's Manager of the Year Award.

Frisco hosted the 2009 Texas League All-Star Game in which five of its players were selected to compete: pitchers Jumbo Díaz and Kasey Kiker, catcher Manny Piña, outfielder Craig Gentry, and first baseman Justin Smoak. The 'Riders lost the final game of the season to the Midland RockHounds, thus eliminating them from postseason contention.

Former Rangers third baseman Steve Buechele led Frisco to clinch the 2010 first-half South Division title, 38–31,[3] behind Tanner Roark who earned the win pitching 5.1 innings as the RoughRiders topped the Corpus Christi Hooks, 7–3, at Whataburger Field. The RoughRiders lost the best-of-five divisional round to the Midland RockHounds, three games to one. Blake Beavan won the Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award after posting a 10–5 record and a 2.78 ERA over 17 starts.

Lewis Brinson played outfield for the RoughRiders in 2016.

Cuban defector Leonys Martín signed a five-year major-league contract with the Rangers worth $15.5 million and was assigned to Frisco to begin the 2012 season. Martín and eight other players (Mike Bianucci, José Félix, José Ruiz, Tommy Mendonca, Renny Osuna, Adalberto Flores, Justin Miller, and Martín Pérez were named Texas League All-stars that year. Though Frisco qualified for the postseason, they lost the best-of-five division series to San Antonio, three games to one. The 'Riders ended the regular season with 79 wins and 61 losses.

Making his first pitching performance in the Metroplex since signing with Texas for $60 million (after the Rangers paid a $51.7 million posting fee to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters), Yu Darvish struck out top Frisco prospect Jurickson Profar to begin four scoreless innings in a 6–1 exhibition win over the RoughRiders at Dr Pepper Ballpark on April 4, 2012. On May 18, the youngest player in all of Double-A baseball, shortstop Jurickson Profar extended his hit streak to 29 games in a 13–0 victory over San Antonio. The 19-year-old's streak ended the next night, but he kept his on-base streak going until it reached 50 straight games (the longest such streak in Minor League Baseball for 2012) on June 2. Power hitting prospect Mike Olt finished his biggest homer binge of the season, hitting two home runs in a June 3 game for the third-straight game. Olt went on to lead the Texas League in home runs with 28 despite getting called up to the big leagues in early August. Nine RoughRiders were named to the Texas League All-Star team. After winning the first half, 41–29,[3] Frisco won the South Division title against Corpus Christi, 3–0, to advance to the league championship, but lost the league crown to the Springfield Cardinals, 3–1.[4] The 2013 team finished with an even 70–70 record, but failed to win either half of the season.

On June 16, 2014, Mandalay Baseball Properties LLC, who owned the Frisco RoughRiders, entered into a definitive agreement with the CEO and Managing Partner of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Chuck Greenberg, as well as RoughRiders President Scott Sonju, for the sale of the Frisco RoughRiders franchise. Greenberg became Chairman, CEO, as well as the Managing Partner of the newly formed Frisco RoughRiders LP, which is a partnership of local investors who acquired the RoughRiders. Sonju is a Co-Managing Partner and continued to serve as RoughRiders' president to oversee the day-to-day operations of the team under Greenberg's leadership.[6][7] The team qualified for the 2014 postseason by winning both halves (40–29 and 40–30), but lost the South Division title to Midland, three games to one.[3] Losing seasons from 2015 to 2019, including back-to-back last-place finishes in 2017 and 2018, have kept the RoughRiders out of the postseason recently.

In conjunction with Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the RoughRiders were organized into the Double-A Central.[8] They won the 2021 Southern Division title with a first-place 64–55 record.[9] Despite winning the division, their record was third-best in the league, and only the two teams with the highest winning percentages in the regular season competed for the league championship.[10] Cole Winn won the league's Pitcher of the Year Award.[11] In 2022, the Double-A Central became known as the Texas League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[12]

Season-by-season results

[edit]
Season Regular season Postseason Ref.
Record Win % League Division GB Record Win % Result
2003 73–67 .521 3rd 2nd 2 4–4 .500 Won First Half East Division title
Won East Division title vs. Wichita Wranglers, 3–0
Lost TL championship vs. San Antonio Missions, 4–1[3]		 [13]
2004 81–59–2 .579 2nd 1st — 7–1 .875 Won Second Half East Division title
Won East Division title vs. Tulsa Drillers, 3–0
Won TL championship vs. Round Rock Express, 4–1[3]		 [14]
2005 58–82 .414 8th 4th 20 — — — [15]
2006 72–68 .514 5th 3rd 6+1⁄2 — — — [16]
2007 85–55 .607 1st 1st — 0–3 .000 Won First Half South Division title
Lost South Division title vs. San Antonio Missions, 3–0[3]		 [17]
2008 84–56 .600 1st 1st — 5–3 .625 Won First and Second Half South Division titles
Won South Division title vs. San Antonio Missions, 3–0
Lost TL championship vs. Arkansas Travelers, 3–2[3]		 [18]
2009 72–68 .514 4th 2nd 6 — — — [19]
2010 72–67 .518 3rd 1st — 1–3 .250 Won First Half South Division title
Lost South Division title vs. Midland RockHounds, 3–1[3]		 [20]
2011 79–61 .564 2nd 2nd 15 1–3 .250 Lost South Division title vs. San Antonio Missions, 3–1[3] [21]
2012 80–60 .571 2nd 2nd 1 4–3 .571 Won First Half South Division title
Won South Division title vs. Corpus Christi Hooks, 3–0
Lost TL championship vs. Springfield Cardinals, 3–1[3]		 [22]
2013 70–70 .500 4th 3rd 13 — — — [23]
2014 80–59 .576 1st 1st — 1–3 .250 Won First and Second Half South Division titles
Lost South Division title vs. Midland RockHounds, 3–1[3]		 [24]
2015 60–79 .432 7th 3rd 28+1⁄2 — — — [25]
2016 63–76 .453 7th 3rd 21+1⁄2 — — — [26]
2017 60–80 .429 8th 4th 18 — — — [27]
2018 60–80 .429 8th 4th 23 — — — [28]
2019 68–71 .475 5th 3rd 7 — — — [29]
2020 Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)[30] [31]
2021 64–55 .538 3rd 1st 7 — — Won Southern Division title [9]
2022 74–63 .475 2nd 1st — 4-0 1.000 Won Second-Half South Division title
Won South Division title vs. San Antonio Missions, 2–0
Won TL championship vs. Wichita Wind Surge, 2–0[32]		 [33]
2023 64–73 .467 9th 5th 12+1⁄2 — — — [34]
2024 84–54 .609 1st (tie) 1st (tie) — 1–2 .333 Won First Half South Division title[35]
Lost South Division title vs. Midland RockHounds, 2–1[36]		 [37]
Totals 1,503–1,403 .517 — — — 28–25 .528 2 league title, 6 division titles, 11 half division titles —

Mascots

[edit]

The RoughRiders have four mascots: Deuce, Daisy, Ted E Bear, and Bull Moose.[38] Ted E Bear is an anthropomorphic teddy bear resembling Teddy Roosevelt in military uniform.

Roster

[edit]
Frisco RoughRiders roster
Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

  •  3 Cooper Johnson
  • 28 Tucker Mitchell

Infielders

Outfielders

Designated hitters

Manager

  • 51 Carlos Cardoza

Coaches

  • 47 Kawika Emsley-Pai (development)
  • 48 Jon Goebel (pitching)
  • 59 Ryan Tuntland (hitting)
  • 61 Tyler Wolfe (development)


7-day injured list
* On Texas Rangers 40-man roster
~ Development list
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporarily inactive list
Roster updated November 19, 2024
 Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB • Texas League
 → Texas Rangers minor league players

Awards

[edit]
A man wearing a red batting helmet and baseball jersey with white pants walking on a baseball field
Dave Anderson won the Texas League Manager of the Year Award in 2007.

Three players have won league awards in recognition for their performance with the RoughRiders. Six members of the coaching staff and two executives have also been honored.

Texas League awards
Award Recipient Season Ref.
Pitcher of the Year Blake Beavan 2010 [39]
Pitcher of the Year Barret Loux 2012 [39]
Pitcher of the Year Cole Winn 2021 [11]
Manager of the Year Dave Anderson 2007 [39]
Manager of the Year Scott Little 2008 [39]
Manager of the Year Jason Wood 2014 [39]
Coach of the Year Scott Coolbaugh 2007 [39]
Coach of the Year Jeff Andrews 2014 [39]
Coach of the Year Jason Hart 2016 [39]
Executive of the Year Scott Sonju 2014 [39]
Executive of the Year Scott Burchett 2017 [39]

Notable alumni

[edit]

The following is a partial list of players who have appeared in games for the RoughRiders (not including any rehab assignments) before being promoted to the major leagues.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Goldberg-Strassler, Jesse (November 14, 2012). "Dr Pepper Ballpark / Frisco RoughRiders". Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  2. ^ "About Mandalay Sports Entertainment". Mandalay Entertainment Group. Archived from the original on May 5, 2006. Retrieved June 23, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "2019 Frisco RoughRiders Media Guide" (PDF). Minor League Baseball. p. 30. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c "League Champions". Texas League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Texas League No-Hit Games". Texas League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  6. ^ Cutno, Damon. "Pelicans Chairman leads group to buy Rangers Double-A affiliate". WMBF-TV. WMBF-TV. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  7. ^ "RoughRiders announce sale of franchise". Frisco RoughRiders. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  8. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "2021 Double-A Central". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  10. ^ Heneghan, Kelsie (July 1, 2021). "Playoffs Return to the Minor Leagues". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Postseason All-Stars". Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  12. ^ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  13. ^ "2003 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  14. ^ "2004 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  15. ^ "2005 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  16. ^ "2006 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  17. ^ "2007 Texas League". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  18. ^ "2008 Texas League". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  19. ^ "2009 Texas League". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  20. ^ "2010 Texas League". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  21. ^ "2011 Texas League". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  22. ^ "2012 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  23. ^ "2013 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  24. ^ "2014 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  25. ^ "2015 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  26. ^ "2016 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  27. ^ "2017 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  28. ^ "2018 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  29. ^ "2019 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  30. ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  31. ^ "2020 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  32. ^ "Riders sweep Wind Surge to win Texas League title". Frisco RoughRiders. Frisco RoughRiders. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  33. ^ "2022 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  34. ^ "2023 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  35. ^ "Standings". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  36. ^ Correa, Adam (September 20, 2024). "Midland Rockhounds Move On After Defeating the Frisco Roughriders". News West 9. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  37. ^ "2024 Texas League". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  38. ^ "Mascot Appearances". Frisco RoughRiders. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  39. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Texas League Awards". Texas League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
[edit]
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