Eddie Guardado , a pitcher for the 1993 Xpress, was called up after 10 starts to make his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins on June 13, 1993.[ 1] The Nashville Xpress Minor League Baseball team played two seasons in Nashville, Tennessee , from 1993 to 1994 as the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins . In those seasons, a total of 60 players competed in at least one game for the Xpress. The 1993 roster included a total of 35 players, while 38 played for the team in 1994. There were 13 players who were members of the team in both seasons. Of the 60 all-time Xpress players, 22 also played in at least one game for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team during their careers.[ 2] [ 3]
After the 1992 baseball season, Charlotte, North Carolina , home of the Double-A Southern League 's Charlotte Knights , acquired a Triple-A expansion team in the International League , leaving the Southern League franchise in need of a new home.[ 4] Larry Schmittou , president of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds , offered Herschel Greer Stadium as a temporary home for the displaced team until owner George Shinn could find a permanent home for his club.[ 5] Upon the league's approval, the franchise relocated to Nashville and became the Nashville Xpress.[ 6] In order to accommodate two teams at Greer, the Xpress' games were scheduled for during the Sounds' road trips.[ 6]
As no other solution could be reached for 1994, Schmittou allowed the franchise to remain at Greer for a second season.[ 7] Meanwhile, in October 1993, Dennis Bastien purchased the Xpress with the intention of moving the club to Lexington, Kentucky , for the 1995 season,[ 8] but those plans fell through when he was unable to broker a financial deal with the city to build a ballpark.[ 7] [ 9] Bastien later arrived at terms to relocate to Springfield, Missouri , in 1997.[ 10] The Xpress left Nashville after the 1994 campaign to play on an interim basis in Wilmington, North Carolina , where they were known as the Port City Roosters in 1995 and 1996.[ 11] The team, however, never made it to Springfield after the city was unable to secure federal funding for a ballpark.[ 12] The forlorn franchise was subsequently sold and placed in Mobile, Alabama , as the Mobile BayBears in 1997.[ 12]
Nashville pitcher Oscar Múñoz and outfielder Rich Becker were selected for the 1993 Double-A All-Star Game .[ 13] Becker was also named to the Southern League's postseason All-Star team.[ 14] Múñoz was chosen to receive the 1993 Southern League Most Outstanding Pitcher Award .[ 15] In 1994, Xpress pitchers LaTroy Hawkins and Marc Barcelo were selected for the Double-A All-Star Game,[ 16] and right-hander Brad Radke was named to the league's postseason All-Star squad.[ 14]
Three players went on to be selected to play in Major League Baseball All-Star Games after their stints in Nashville: Eddie Guardado (2002 & 2003),[ 17] Damian Miller (2002),[ 18] and Brad Radke (1998).[ 19] In 1995, Marty Cordova was voted the American League Rookie of the Year .[ 20] Three Xpress players also played for the Nashville Sounds: LaTroy Hawkins (2010–11),[ 21] Todd Ritchie (1999),[ 22] and Scott Cepicky (1993—one season before playing for the Xpress).[ 23]
LaTroy Hawkins , who pitched for the 1994 Xpress, went on to appear in 1,042 big league games over his 21-year MLB career.[ 24] After retiring as a player, catcher Scott Stricklin of the 1994 Xpress began coaching college baseball in 1998.[ 25] Rich Garcés led the 1994 Xpress pitching staff with a 1.000 fielding percentage in 40 appearances.[ 3] Table keys
^ Players are listed at a position if they appeared in 30% of their games or more at that position during their Xpress career, as defined by Baseball-Reference .
MLB award winners and All-Stars
^ Marty Cordova: American League Rookie of the Year (1995)[ 20]
^ Eddie Guardado: American League All-Star (2002 & 2003)[ 17]
^ Damian Miller: National League All-Star (2002)[ 18]
^ Brad Radke: American League All-Star (1998)[ 19]
Specific
^ a b "Eddie Guardado Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "1993 Nashville Xpress Statistics" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ a b "1994 Nashville Xpress Statistics" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ Taft, Larry (January 23, 1993). "Before Team Can Come, Owner Must Be Decided" . The Tennessean . Nashville. p. 3-C. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Taft, Larry (January 29, 1993). "One Ballpark, Two Teams: Xpress Rolls Into Town" . The Tennessean . Nashville. p. 1-C. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ a b Taft, Larry (January 29, 1993). "Questions and Answers About Nashville's Double Play" . The Tennessean . Nashville. p. 3-C. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ a b Coleman, Anthony (August 6, 1994). "Xpress Proposes a One-Of-A-Kind Move" . The Tennessean . Nashville. p. 2C. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Coons, Ron (October 23, 1993). "Baseball" . The Courier-Journal . Louisville. p. D6. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Morris, Dan (July 2, 1994). "Jackson up at Bat Again" . The Jackson Sun . Jackson. p. 1A. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Puryear, Scott (January 19, 1995). "Play Ball! Springfield Scores a Team" . The Springfield News-Leader . Springfield. p. 1A. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Minor League Tickets Go on Sale Today" . The Springfield News-Leader . Springfield. February 4, 1995. p. 1C. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ a b "Margenau Says He's Buying Bastien's Team" . The Springfield News-Leader . Springfield. November 17, 1995. p. 1C. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Taft, Larry (June 30, 1993). "Xpress' Munoz, Becker Make AA All-Star Game" . The Tennessean . Nashville. p. 2-C. Retrieved February 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ a b "Postseason All-Star Teams" . Southern League . Minor League Baseball. Retrieved February 20, 2020 .
^ "Most Outstanding Pitchers" . Minor League Baseball . Retrieved June 9, 2014 .
^ "Double-A All-Star Rosters" . Press and Sun-Bulletin . Binghamton. June 30, 1994. p. 4C. Retrieved February 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
^ a b "Eddie Guardado Stats" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ a b "Damian Miller Stats" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ a b "Brad Radke Stats" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ a b "Marty Cordova Stats" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ a b "LaTroy Hawkins Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019 .
^ a b "Todd Ritchie Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ a b "Scott Cepicky Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "LaTroy Hawkins Stats" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 20, 2020 .
^ "Scott Stricklin - Baseball Coach" . University of Georgia Athletics . Retrieved February 20, 2020 .
^ "Marco Barcelo Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Rich Becker Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Jayson Best Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Anthony Byrd Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Ted Corbin Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Marty Cordova Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Mike Daniel Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Adell Davenport Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Javy DeJesus Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Rex De La Nuez Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Andres Duncan Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Steve Dunn Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Mike Durant Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Mike Fernandez Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Gus Gandarillas Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Rich Garcés Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Sean Gavaghan Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Ed Gerald Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Pedro Grifol Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Steve Hazlett Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Jon Henry Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Denny Hocking Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Tom Houk Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Greg Johnson Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Jason Klonoski Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Dom Konieczki Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Andrew Kontorinis Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Jeff Mansur Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 25, 2020 .
^ "Dan Masteller Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Bob McCreary Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Mike McDonald Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Damian Miller Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Travis Miller Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Mike Misuraca Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Tim Moore Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "William Mota Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Scott Moten Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Oscar Múñoz Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Dan Naulty Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Alan Newman Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Joe Norris Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Brian Raabe Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Brad Radke Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "David Rivera Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Brett Roberts Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Bob Robinson Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Paul Russo Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Erik Schullstrom Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Mitch Simons Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Scott Stahoviak Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Scott Stricklin Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Dennis Sweeney Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Kenneth Tirpack Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Ricky Ward Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Scott Watkins Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
^ "Bill Wissler Minor League Statistics and History" . Baseball-Reference . Sports Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2020 .
General