Nolan Ryan joins Houston Astros

— -- Nolan Ryan has decided to join the Houston Astros organization as an executive adviser.

Ryan will be an adviser to his son, Reid, who is president of business operations, owner Jim Crane and general manager Jeff Luhnow. That means Ryan will be working in both the business and baseball sides of the franchise.

"It's exciting for me," Reid Ryan said Tuesday night, taking a brief break from a sports forum in Dallas. "We have a good, working relationship and it's a lot of fun. He's going to be an asset for us to use. I've been picking his brain since I went into business coming out of TCU and he's been a tremendous resource for me."

Ryan, 67, met with the Astros in late January and spent the ensuing time thinking about whether he was ready to join another franchise. He resigned as CEO from the Texas Rangers and sold his ownership stake in the club following the 2013 season.

"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."

Ryan told ESPNDallas.com a few weeks ago that he would not have an office and would help out on both the developmental side and with the big league club as needed if he decided to join the club.

"We're extremely pleased to have Nolan as part of our organization," Crane said in a statement. "We will use his experience, expertise and knowledge to improve the Astros in all areas. He will be an integral part of our management team. Nolan wants to be a part of our success moving forward."

For Ryan, this marks a return to a Houston organization where he spent nine years as a pitcher and another four years under a personal services contract before he was allowed to leave to take over as president of the Rangers in 2008 when then-owner Tom Hicks hired him.

Ryan helped oversee a club that was rebuilt after struggling for most of the decade, ending up in the World Series in 2010 and 2011. It was the first World Series appearances in franchise history.

Ryan became an owner in 2010 after joining a group that purchased the team in an auction in bankruptcy court in August 2010. That group, including current co-chairman of the board Ray Davis and Bob Simpson, won the right to purchase the club from a group led by Crane and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Ryan was later named CEO in addition to president after Chuck Greenberg, then the general managing partner and the man that put the ownership group together, was moved out in March 2011.

The junior Ryan believes his father will offer a one-of-a-kind perspective.

"The thing that's unique about my dad is you combine the ranchers' mentality, which is about patience and watching things mature over a period of time, with the baseball and it's somebody that's full of common sense and sees the nuances of life and the game," Ryan said.

"He's invested in baseball in Texas," he added. "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."