Ryan, Astros Have A Lot To Work With

So, the day finally came. As we all expected, Nolan Ryan joined his son, Reid, in the Houston Astros front office on Tuesday, officially agreeing to become an executive adviser to the Astros' front office.

He won't have an office, which means he likely won't be involved in daily operations like he was with the Texas Rangers, but he's going to have his hand in the way the Astros are run, and that can't be anything but a good thing for the Astros and their fans.

After three straight seasons of 100-plus losses, the Astros have plenty of room for improvement, and they have a fully stocked farm system said to be the best in baseball. Sound familiar? It should because that's the position the Rangers were in for a few years before they began their current run of success in 2010. The Rangers were never in as bad of shape as the Astros have been in, but the Astros also made no bones about the fact they were stripping down and starting over.

"I'm very excited to be back with the Astros," Ryan said in Tuesday's statement. "I'm happy to assist Jim, Jeff and Reid in any way I can. The Astros have a solid foundation with a strong farm system. I think the future is bright for Houston and I'm looking forward to my involvement."

Reid Ryan is the president of baseball operations for the Astros and said his father ultimately was too invested in baseball in Texas to give up being around it at this point. Nolan Ryan, who will soon be 67 years old, pitched for the Astros longer than any of his other four teams in his career, and of course finished his career as a Texas Ranger.

"He's invested in baseball in Texas," Reid Ryan told ESPN Dallas. "My dad loves the state of Texas and loves baseball and has been a family man all his life. It's a chance to put all of that into one."

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