The Greeneville Astros were a Minor League Baseball team that played in the Rookie-level Appalachian League from 2004 to 2017. They represented the town of

Greeneville, Tennessee Greeneville is a town in and the county seat of Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 15,479. The town was named in honor of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, and it is the second oldest town i ...

, though Pioneer Park, their home stadium, was located in nearby

Tusculum Tusculum is a ruined Roman city in the Alban Hills, in the Latium region of Italy. Tusculum was most famous in Roman times for the many great and luxurious patrician country villas sited close to the city, yet a comfortable distance from Rome ( ...

on the campus of Tusculum College. They were named for their

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

affiliate, the Houston Astros. Over 14 years of competition, the Astros played in 938 regular season games and compiled a 440–498 win–loss record. They qualified for the

postseason The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

on four occasions and won the Appalachian League championship in 2004 and 2015. They had a postseason record of 9–8. Combining all 955 regular season and postseason games, the Astros had an all-time record of 449–506. Among the players to come through Greeneville before playing in Major League Baseball are

José Altuve José Carlos Altuve (; born May 6, 1990) is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Astros signed Altuve as an amateur free agent in 2007, and he made his major league debut ...

Carlos Correa Carlos Javier Correa Oppenheimer Jr. (born September 22, 1994) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, who selected him first overall in th ...

, Mike Foltynewicz, and J. D. Martinez.

History

Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

was first played in

, by the Greeneville Burley Cubs in the Appalachian League in 1921. They remained in the league through 1925 and returned for a second stretch from 1938 to 1942. Prior to the 2004 season, the Houston Astros moved their

Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

Appalachian League affiliate from

Martinsville, Virginia Martinsville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,485. A community of both Southside and Southwest Virginia, it is the county seat of Henry County, althou ...

, where they were known as the

Martinsville Astros The Martinsville Astros were a short season minor league baseball team located in Martinsville, Virginia. The team was affiliated with the Houston Astros and played in the Appalachian League from 1999 to 2003. Martinsville was also home to the ...

, to Greeneville as the Greeneville Astros. While the team bore the name of Greeneville, they would play their home games at Pioneer Park located in nearby

on the campus of Tusculum College. Managed by Tim Bogar, the Astros played their first game on June 21, 2004, on the road against the Elizabethton Twins at Joe O'Brien Field, winning 3–1. They completed their inaugural season with a first place 41–26 record, the all-time franchise highest. Having won the Western Division title, Greeneville then defeated the

Danville Braves The Danville Braves were a Minor League Baseball team in Danville, Virginia. They were an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League and were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves have played home games at American Legion Post 3 ...

, 2–1, in a best-of-three series to win the Appalachian League championship. Bogar was selected for the league's Manager of the Year Award, and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Mitch Einertson won Player of the Year honors. The Astros missed the playoffs for the next eight seasons, often finishing fourth or fifth out of five teams in the Western Division. The 2007 team set a franchise record low win–loss record with a 17–51 season. Led by Manager of the Year Josh Bonifay, the 2013 Astros earned a playoff spot with a 38–30 second place finish. They won their semifinal match-up versus the

Kingsport Mets The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home ga ...

, 2–1, but lost in the finals to the

Pulaski Mariners Pulaski may refer to: Places * Pulaski Heights, a section of the city of Little Rock, Arkansas * Pulaski Shoal, an underwater landform west of the Florida Keys * Pulaski, Georgia, a town * Pulaski Square, one of the "Squares of Savannah" in th ...

, 2–0. Another second place finish at 34–33 under Lamarr Rogers in 2015 brought Greenville back to the postseason. They defeated Kingsport in the semifinals, 2–1, then won their second Appalachian League championship with a 2–1 series win over the

Princeton Rays The Princeton Rays were a Minor League Baseball team in Princeton, West Virginia, operating as an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with several Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, primarily the Ta ...

. In 2017, the Astros again finished second (33–34) to earn a playoff spot under manager Danny Ortega. They were, however, eliminated by the Elizabethton Twins, 2–1, in the semifinals with a 6–0 shutout road loss on September 6. The Houston Astros announced two days later that they were eliminating their Appalachian League team in Greeneville so as to strengthen their player development efforts by reducing their farm system from nine teams to eight. Over 14 years in Greenville, the Astros led the Appalachian League in total and average attendance at Pioneer Park from 2004 to 2014. Their all-time regular season record was 440–498 (.469). In 2018, the Cincinnati Reds took Greeneville's place in the Appalachian League with the Greeneville Reds.

Season-by-season results

Award winners and All-Stars

Notable players

Through the completion of the 2019 season, 53 Greenville Astros have also played in at least one game in

during their careers.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''
2004 establishments in Tennessee 2017 disestablishments in Tennessee Baseball teams established in 2004 Baseball teams disestablished in 2017 Defunct Appalachian League teams Defunct baseball teams in Tennessee Greeneville, Tennessee Houston Astros minor league affiliates Professional baseball teams in Tennessee Tusculum, Tennessee