The Bristol Pirates were a Minor League Baseball team in Bristol, Virginia, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team played home games at DeVault Memorial Stadium. Opened in 1969, Devault Memorial Stadium held 2,000 fans. The team was previously affiliated with the Detroit Tigers, and a previous manager was retired Tigers manager Jim Leyland. They were a

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

of the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

from 1995 to 2013 as the Bristol White Sox. The team was operated by a non-profit organization, Bristol Baseball, Incorporated (BBI). BBI had no full-time paid staff, instead relying on a volunteer board and general manager to keep and promote professional baseball in Bristol. The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league, and the Pirates were replaced by a new franchise, the Bristol State Liners, in the revamped league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores.

Season-by-season records

Playoffs

*2019: Lost to Johnson City 2–1 in semifinals. *2002: Defeated Bluefield 2–1 to win championship. *1998: Defeated

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

2–0 to win championship.

Notable alumni

* Chris Carter (2005) * Frank Catalanotto (1992-1993) *

Tony Clark Anthony Christopher Clark (born June 15, 1972) is an American professional baseball player and executive. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1995 to 2009 and is the sixth executive director of the Major League Baseball P ...

(1990) MLB All-Star * Juan Encarnacion (1994) *

Mark Fidrych Mark Steven Fidrych ( ; August 14, 1954 – April 13, 2009), nicknamed "The Bird", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) baseball pitcher. He pitched his entire career for the Detroit Tigers (1976–1980). Known for his quirky antics ...

(1974) 2 x MLB All-Star; 1976 AL ERA Leader; 1976 AL Rookie of the Year * Travis Fryman (1987) 5 x MLB All-Star * Freddy Garcia (2009) 2 x MLB All-Star; 2001 AL ERA Leader * Gio Gonzalez (2004) 2 x MLB All-Star * Jerry Hairston Sr. (2004, MGR) * Chris Hoiles (1986) *

Carlos Lee Carlos Noriel Lee (born June 20, 1976), nicknamed "El Caballo", is a Panamanian former professional baseball first baseman and left fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1999–2012 with the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, ...

(1995) * Jose Lima (1990) MLB All-Star * Jerry Manual (1972) *

Lance Parrish Lance Michael Parrish (born June 15, 1956), nicknamed "Big Wheel", is an American former baseball catcher who played Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1977 through 1995. Born in Pennsylvania, Parrish grew up in Southern California and excelled in ...

(1974) 8 x MLB All-Star * Jon Rauch (1999) *

Vern Ruhle Vernon Gerald Ruhle ( ; January 25, 1951 – January 20, 2007) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros for 13 seasons, fr ...

(1972) *

Bobby Thigpen Robert Thomas "Bobby" Thigpen (born July 17, 1963) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is noted for setting the major league record of 57 saves during the season, which has since been broken by former Los Angeles Angels of An ...

(2007-2008, MGR) MLB All-Star * Justin Thompson (1991) MLB All-Star * Alan Trammell (1976) 6 x MLB All-Star; 1984 World Series Most Valuable Player; 2018 Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame * Tom Veryzer (1971) *

Lou Whitaker Louis Rodman Whitaker Jr. (born May 12, 1957), nicknamed "Sweet Lou", is an American former professional baseball second baseman. Whitaker spent his entire career with the Detroit Tigers. From 1977 to 1995, he appeared in 2,390 games for the ...

(1975) 5 x MLB All-Star; 1978 AL Rookie of the Year

References

External links

*
Statistics from Baseball-Reference
Baseball teams established in 1969 Baseball teams disestablished in 2020 Defunct Appalachian League teams Bristol, Virginia Professional baseball teams in Virginia Pittsburgh Pirates minor league affiliates 1969 establishments in Virginia 2020 disestablishments in Virginia {{Virginia-baseball-team-stub