Nashville Sounds All-time Roster

Nashville Sounds All-time Roster

The Nashville Sounds minor league baseball franchise has played in Nashville, Tennessee since its inception in the 1978 season. As of the completion of the 2012 season, 1,006 players had competed in at least one game for the Sounds. Of those players, 703 have also played in at least one game for a Major League Baseball team.

The club was established as an expansion team of the Double-A Southern League in 1978, in which it competed through 1984. While at that class level, Nashville was affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds (1978–79) and New York Yankees (1980–84). The franchise moved to the Triple-A American Association in 1985 and then to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 1998. At this class level, the team has been affiliated with the Detroit Tigers (1985–86), Cincinnati Reds (1987–92), Chicago White Sox (1993–97), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1998–2004). Since 2005, Nashville has been the Triple-A farm team of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Players Steve Balboni, Brian Dayett, and Magglio Ordóñez have each won minor league Most Valuable Player awards. Ordóñez also won the American Association Rookie of the Year award in 1997. League Pitcher of the Year honors have been awarded to Bruce Berenyi, Geoff Combe, Andy McGaffigan, Jamie Werly, Stefan Wever, Chris Hammond, Scott Ruffcorn, Jeff Abbott, and R. A. Dickey.

Fifty-three of the team's players have distinguished themselves by winning a Major League Baseball award or being named to a major league All-Star team. Ryan Braun, Barry Larkin, Don Mattingly, and Willie McGee have each won Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards. Doug Drabek and R. A. Dickey have both won a Cy Young Award. Jason Bay, Ryan Braun, and Chris Sabo have won Rookie of the Year Awards. Bob Melvin and Buck Showalter each won a Manager of the Year Award. John Axford, Keith Foulke, Trevor Hoffman, and Jeff Montgomery have won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award. Hoffman, Larkin, and Mattingly have won a Lou Gehrig Memorial Award. Larkin also won a Roberto Clemente Award. Prince Fielder and Aramis Ramírez have won a Hank Aaron Award. José Rijo is the only former Sounds player to win a World Series MVP Award. Seven alumni have won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award, and nine have won a Silver Slugger Award. Forty-nine alumni have been named to Major League Baseball All-Star Game teams.