The Houston Astros showed their appreciation for Round Rock Express manager Jackie Moore, calling the 50-year veteran up to the major leagues to serve as bench coach for the rest of the 2007 season.

The 68-year-old Moore has been in professional baseball for half a century, starting as a catcher and outfielder in the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox organizations. He played one season in the majors, spending the majority of the 1965 season with the Tigers.

Moore has been the Express manager for the past eight years, taking the team to the playoffs five times and winning the 2000 Texas League championship. He also oversaw the team's move from Double-A to Triple-A for the 2005 season. The team had less success this season, finishing with a 61-81 record.

This is the first time that Moore has coached in the major leagues since 1998. He's expected to join the team on Thursday in New York.

“It’s an absolute testament to the caliber of person Jackie Moore is,” Round Rock president Jay Miller said in the press release announcing the move. “He’s just an outstanding manager, and the kind of person that touches everyone who passes through the organization.”

Moore will have some familiar faces around him when he joins the team on Thursday. The Astros also called up six Round Rock players and the team trainer to join the team for the rest of the season.

Outfielders Josh Anderson and Jason Lane, catchers Humberto Quintero and J.R. Towles, pitcher Juan Gutierrez and infielder Cody Ransom will all make the move. Anderson joined Houston in Chicago on Saturday, and the remaining players will meet the Astros today in Milwaukee. Team trainer Mike Freer, who is in his 18th season with the Astros' minor league system, has also been called up to the major league staff.

Anderson is a speedster who stole 40 bases this season while hitting .273 for Round Rock. Lane has moved back and forth between Round Rock and Houston throughout the season, playing 63 games with the Astros and 46 with the Express. Quintero was Round Rock's leading hitter this season with a .333 average, while Towles hit .279 in his 13 games with the Express.

Gutierrez was Round Rock's workhorse pitcher in 2007, racking up a 5-10 record over 156 innings. Ransom had a team-high 28 home runs and 90 RBI for the Express this season, to go along with 21 steals.

Photo by Jeff Taff on flickr