The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States. A small part of Midland is in Martin County. At the 2020 census, Midland's population was 132,524. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan ...

. The team, which plays in the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, is the Double-A affiliate of the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

major league club. The RockHounds play in

Momentum Bank Ballpark Momentum Bank Ballpark (formerly First American Bank Ballpark, Citibank Ballpark, and Security Bank Ballpark) is a ballpark in Midland, Texas. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Double-A Midland RockHounds minor lea ...

, which opened in 2002 and seats 4,709 fans. They have won seven Texas League championships: in 1975 (co-champions with the Lafayette Drillers), 2005, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

History

The RockHounds were previously known as both the Midland Cubs (1972–1984) and Midland Angels (1985–1998). While Midland has been the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland A's since 1999, they were affiliated with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

from 1972 to 1984, and then with the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

from 1985 to 1998. The team was renamed “Rockhounds,” a nickname for geologists, as a reference to the oil and gas industry of the area. The RockHounds have received numerous awards throughout their history. The Midland franchise under the Angels won the Texas League Organization of the Year in 1990 and 1994 and as the RockHounds in 2002. In 1995, Midland won Double-A Baseball's highest award, the Bob Frietas Award. General Manager Monty Hoppel has been named Executive of the Year with the franchise three times (1991, 1995, and 2002). In 1995, Midland reached its first-ever playoff appearance as an affiliate of the Angels and their first playoff appearance overall in 20 years. It also became the first season that Midland accumulated more than 200,000 fans in a season, a feat repeated in 1996. The feat surprised many in Minor League Baseball as the Midland-Odessa area only has just over 200,000 residents total. The RockHounds moved into

, part of the Scharbauer Sports Complex on the west side of Midland, in 2002. Since then, the RockHounds have averaged over 250,000 fans every season. Prior to that, their home had been what is now known as

Christensen Stadium Christensen Stadium is a stadium in Midland, Texas. It has been used for baseball and was home of the Midland RockHounds until they moved to Momentum Bank Ballpark in 2002. The ballpark has a capacity of 5,000 people and opened in 1952. I ...

, in northeast Midland. The Rockhounds won their first ever Texas League Championship in 2005. They shared the title with the Lafayette Drillers in 1975 as the Cubs. In 2006, they won the second-half championship of the South Division, but they lost to the eventual champion

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and 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 is owned by ...

in the division playoffs. In 2007, the RockHounds won the John H. Johnson President's Award, Minor League baseball highest award for a franchise, making them the third Texas League franchise to do so after the

El Paso Diablos "El Paso Diablos" refers to two different professional baseball teams based in El Paso, Texas, in the United States. The most recent Diablos were a member of the South Division of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, whi ...

and the

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

. In 2009, the RockHounds won their second Texas League pennant, defeating the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The ...

three games to one in the Championship Series. In 2010, the RockHounds returned to the Texas League title game, but this time fell to the Naturals. In 2017, the RockHounds won their fourth straight Texas League title, the first team to do so since the

Fort Worth Panthers A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

won six in a row from 1920-25. In conjunction with

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), ...

's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the RockHounds were organized into the

Double-A Central The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. 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.

On the radio

The Midland Rockhounds have always had a play-by-play broadcast that has been available.

KCRS (AM) KCRS (550 AM broadcasting, AM), commonly called Newstalk 550 KCRS, is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Midland, Texas, United States, the station serves the Odessa-Midland area. The station is currently o ...

had been the network to carry roughly 95% of the Rockhounds games since they debuted in 1972. Some afternoon games in 2008 didn't air on the radio due to contracts with

Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM r ...

and others. For the 2009 season

Gap Broadcasting Gap Broadcasting Group was a group of companies that owned around 116 broadcast stations (including 1 low-power television station and 5 low-power stations) in 23 radio markets in northwestern and central southern United States in the late 2000s. ...

announced the Rockhounds would have a new radio home,

KFZX KFZX (102.1 FM) is a radio station located in the Midland/ Odessa, Texas market which plays a classic rock music format. Its studios are located at the ICA Business Plaza on East Eighth Street in Odessa, just east of downtown, and its transmitt ...

, also known as 102.1 Jack FM. For the 2010 season, the Rockhounds once again moved radio homes to

KMRK KMRK-FM (96.1 FM, "MY Country 96.1") is a radio station that serves the Midland–Odessa metropolitan area with country music. The station is owned by ICA Communications, who acquired this station and its sister stations for $3 million in 2010 f ...

96.1 FM. In both cases Bob Hards remained the voice of the Rockhounds, a position he has currently held for 19 consecutive years. In 2013 the Rockhounds moved their games back to KCRS, though weekday day games would be preempted for talk shows that were already scheduled.

Notable players

Brett Anderson Brett Lewis Anderson (born 29 September 1967) is an English singer best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the band Suede. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he fronted The Tears with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler in 2004- ...

Garret Anderson Garret Joseph Anderson (born June 30, 1972) is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California / Anaheim Angels / Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Atlanta Braves, and Los Angeles D ...

* Andrew Bailey * Billy Burns *

Eric Byrnes Eric James Byrnes (born February 16, 1976), is a baseball analyst and former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Se ...

Trevor Cahill Trevor John Cahill (born March 1, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Sa ...

* Chris Carter *

Joe Carter Joseph Chris Carter (born March 7, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, ...

Josh Donaldson Joshua Adam Donaldson (born December 8, 1985) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Atla ...

Sean Doolittle Sean Robert Doolittle (born September 26, 1986) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Washington Nationals organization. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners a ...

Ryan Dull Ryan Christopher Dull (born October 2, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, New York ...

Shawon Dunston Shawon Donnell Dunston (born March 21, 1963) is an American retired professional baseball player. A shortstop, Dunston played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1985 through 2002. Dunston was the first overall pick in the 1982 MLB draft by the ...

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Jim Edmonds James Patrick Edmonds (born June 27, 1970) is an American former professional baseball center fielder and a broadcaster for Bally Sports Midwest. He played for the California/Anaheim Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, ...

Darin Erstad Darin Charles Erstad (; born June 4, 1974) is an American former professional baseball player and the former head coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team. Erstad spent most of his playing career with the Los Angeles Angels o ...

Andre Ethier Andre Everett Ethier (; born April 10, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 to 2017 and is second all-time in post-season appearances as a Do ...

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Sonny Gray Sonny Douglas Gray (born November 7, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds. Gray attended ...

A.J. Griffin Arthur Joseph Griffin (born January 28, 1988) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers. Early life Griffin attended Grossmont High School. He was n ...

Rich Harden James Richard Harden (born November 30, 1981) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. Early years Harden attended Claremont Secondary S ...

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* Ryon Healy * Mark Kiger (first player in modern MLB history to debut in a postseason game (October 13, 2006; game three of the

2006 ALCS The 2006 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the 2006 American League playoffs, began on October 10 and ended on October 14. The wild card Detroit Tigers swept the West Division champion Oakland Athletics 4 games ...

)) *

Mike Krukow Michael Edward Krukow (born January 21, 1952), nicknamed "Kruk", is an American former professional baseball player and sportscaster. As a starting pitcher, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and ...

Dennis Lamp Dennis Patrick Lamp (born September 23, 1952) is a former professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball. From 1977 through 1992, the breaking ball specialist played for the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athle ...

Carlos Lezcano Carlos Manuel Lezcano (born September 30, 1955), is a former professional baseball player who played outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1980 to 1981 for the Chicago Cubs. His cousin, Sixto Lezcano, was also a Major League outfielder a ...

Joe Maddon Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball. Maddon began his coaching career in MLB ...

(Manager) *

Sean Manaea Sean Anthony Manaea ( ; born February 1, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres. He played co ...

Randy Martz Randy Carl Martz (born May 28, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Career In 1977, after being named the Most Valuable College Player (he went 14–0 for the University of South ...

Mark McLemore Mark Tremell McLemore (born October 4, 1964) is an American former professional baseball second baseman and utility player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Early years McLemore grew up in Southeast San Diego, where he went to Samuel F. B. Morse ...

Donnie Moore Donnie Ray Moore (February 13, 1954 – July 18, 1989) was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for the Chicago Cubs (1975, 1977–79), St. Louis Cardinals (1980), Milwaukee Brewers (1981), Atlanta Braves (1982–8 ...

* Karl Pagel *

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Dan Straily Daniel Steven Straily (born December 1, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). The Oakland Athletics selected Straily in the 24th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball ...

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* Bruce Sutter (elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006) *

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* Joey Wagman * Barry Zito

Roster

References

External links

*
Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midland Rockhounds Baseball teams established in 1972 Texas League teams Professional baseball teams in Texas Sports in Midland, Texas Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates California Angels minor league affiliates Oakland Athletics minor league affiliates 1972 establishments in Texas Double-A Central teams