The Grand Junction Jackalopes are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in

Grand Junction, Colorado Grand Junction is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 65,560 at the 2020 United States Census, making Grand Junction the 17th mo ...

, and play their home games at

Suplizio Field Sam Suplizio Field is a stadium in Grand Junction, Colorado, United States.Facilities ...

. They were formerly named the Rockies, after the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fi ...

, who were their major league affiliate from 2001 to 2020 prior to the league becoming independent.

Franchise history

The Butte Copper Kings, named for the once-powerful owners of the copper mines of

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to t ...

, began play in the Pioneer League in as a co-op team with players from the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion ...

and Texas Rangers organizations as well as a few free agents. Beginning in , the franchise had been operated by Silverbow Baseball. It was sold in to the Goldklang Group in a move necessary to stem conflict-of-interest issues when Silverbow head Jim McCurdy had taken the position of President of the Pioneer League in . Silverbow had attempted to sell the franchise in 1994 to investors from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, but the deal fell through when it was determined that Silverbow owned a lesser percentage of the franchise than it had purported to own. Following the season, the team relocated to

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne ...

as the Casper Rockies (and was renamed the Ghosts before the season) and affiliated with

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

. On January 13, 2011, Casper Professional Baseball Club, LLC announced the sale of the team to Monfort Investment Group, a group headed by Colorado Rockies General Partners. October 17, 2011, Grand Junction city officials unanimously approved a lease agreement to the team, making Suplizio Field home to the newly renamed Grand Junction Rockies. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Pioneer League was converted from an MLB-affiliated Rookie Advanced league to an

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball organization in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball and is outside the Minor League Baseball clubs affiliated to it. The Northern League (baseball, 19 ...

and granted status as an MLB Partner League, with Grand Junction continuing as a member. On November 4, 2022, the team officially announced their new name of the Grand Junction Jackalopes.

Roster

Notable players

Butte Copper Kings, Casper Rockies and Casper Ghosts players who have made appearances on Major League teams: *

Cecil Fielder Cecil Grant Fielder (; born September 21, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Fielder was a power hitter in the 1980s and 1990s. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UN ...

Omar Vizquel Omar Enrique Vizquel González (; born April 24, 1967), nicknamed "Little O", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball shortstop. During his 24-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, Vizquel played for the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland I ...

Rich Aurilia Richard Santo Aurilia (; born September 2, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop who played for several teams between 1995 and 2009. Amateur career Aurilia was born in Brooklyn, New York. Before being drafted by Texas, Aurilia was a ...

* Jake Bird * Julio Franco *

Bobby Jenks Robert Scott Jenks (born March 14, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox from 2005 through 2011. According to the ''Baseball Almanac'', his ...

Robb Nen Robb Allen Nen (born November 28, 1969) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He spent most of his career as a closer. He is the son of former major league first baseman Dick Nen. He currently works in the Giants' front ...

* Roger Pavlik * Francisco Rodríguez *

Kevin Seitzer Kevin Lee Seitzer (; born March 26, 1962) is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, and Cleveland Indians. He is currently the hitting coach for the Atlan ...

Mike Napoli Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

Alfredo Amézaga Alfredo Amézaga Delgado (; ; born January 16, 1978) is a Mexican former professional baseball player and was a coach for the AA Mississippi Braves. In his career, he played 265 games in the outfield (most of them in center field), 115 games at ...

* Andy Barkett *

Andy Beene Ramon Andrew Beene (born October 13, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. Beene played College baseball with Baylor University. Beene was initially drafted by the New York Yankees in 1978, but they did not s ...

* Mark Brandenburg * Mickey Callaway * Juan Castillo *

Bryan Clutterbuck Bryan Richard Clutterbuck (December 17, 1959 – August 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he appeared in 34 games in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Brewers during the and seasons. The nat ...

* Cris Colón * John Davis *

Tom Edens Thomas Patrick Edens (born June 9, 1961) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets (), Milwaukee Brewers (), Minnesota Twins (–), Houston Astros (–), Philadelph ...

Joey Eischen Joseph Raymond Eischen (born May 25, 1970) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. High school Joey Eischen attended West Covina High School in West Covina, California and was a letterman in football, basketball, baseball, and tennis ...

Trevor Enders Trevor Hale Enders (born December 22, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball player. Born to William Enders and Barbara (nee Frost). Born in Milwaukee, WI. He and his family moved to Northbrook, Illinois and then to Houston, TX when he was you ...

Scott Eyre Scott Alan Eyre (born May 30, 1972), is an American former professional baseball left-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phil ...

Monty Fariss Monty Ted Fariss (born October 13, 1967) is an American former professional baseball player who spent time in the Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1991 to 1993. Career Fariss attended Oklahoma State, and in 1987 he played colleg ...

* Jeff Frye * Benji Gil * Donald Harris * Todd Helton * Matt Hensley *

Dion James Dion James (born November 9, 1962) is a former Major League Baseball player who played as a left and center fielder for an eleven-year career from 1983 to 1985, 1987–1990, 1992–1993, 1995-1996. James starred at C. K. McClatchy High School in S ...

Kerry Lacy Kerry Ardeen Lacy (born August 7, 1972) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Boston Red Sox. Listed at , 195 lb., he batted and threw right-handed. In a two-season career, Lacy posted a 3–1 ...

* Terrell Lowery *

Bill Lyons William Allen Lyons (born April 26, 1958 in Alton, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He played in parts of two seasons in the majors, and , for the St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American profession ...

David Manning Sir David Geoffrey Manning, (born 5 December 1949) is a former British diplomat, who was the British Ambassador to the United States from 2003 to 2007. He authored the so-called " Manning Memo", that summarized the details of a meeting between ...

Rob Maurer Robert John Maurer (born January 7, 1967) is a retired Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman, Maurer attended Mater Dei High School in Evansville, Indiana and the University of Evansville, where he played for the Evansville Purple Aces Th ...

* Brian Meadows *

Ángel Miranda Ángel Luis Miranda Andújar (born November 9, 1969 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico), is a former professional baseball pitcher. He played all or parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball, from 1993 until 1997, for the Milwaukee Brewers. Career ...

* Alberto Árias *

Darren Clarke Darren Christopher Clarke, (born 14 August 1968) is a professional golfer from Northern Ireland who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions and has previously played on the European Tour and PGA Tour. He has won 21 tournaments worldwide on a ...

Manuel Corpas Manuel Corpas (born December 3, 1982) is a Panamanian professional baseball pitcher for the Martinez Sturgeon of the Pecos League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs. Career Colorado R ...

Dexter Fowler William Dexter Fowler (born March 22, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinal ...

* Jonathan Herrera *

Ubaldo Jiménez Ubaldo Jiménez García (born January 22, 1984) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles. Jiménez was an MLB All-Sta ...

Franklin Morales Franklin Miguel Morales (born January 24, 1986) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays. Professional career Colorado Rockies A ...

Josh Newman Joshua Paul Newman (born June 11, 1982) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He played parts of and for the Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals. Biography A native of Wheelersburg, Ohio, Newman played college base ...

Jayson Nix Jayson Truitt Edward Nix (born August 26, 1982) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yank ...

Jordan Pacheco Jordan Patrick Pacheco (born January 30, 1986) is an American former professional baseball infielder and catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds. Early career Prior to p ...

* Alex Serrano * Ryan Shealy *

Seth Smith Garry Seth Smith (born September 30, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles. He ...

* Ian Stewart *

Ryan Speier Ryan Andrew Speier (born July 24, 1979) is an American former right-handed professional baseball pitcher. He played with the Colorado Rockies for his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career, from when he was called up to July 24, when he was d ...

* Jermaine Van Buren * Eduardo Villacis *

Everth Cabrera Everth Cabrera (born November 17, 1986) is a Nicaraguan professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles. He led the National League (NL) in stolen bases in 2012, and was ...

Jhoulys Chacín Jhoulys Jose Chacín Molina ( ; born January 7, 1988) is an American-Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He previously played for the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padre ...

Matt Daley Matthew Thomas Daley (born June 23, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Colorado Rockies and the New York Yankees. He retired after the 2014 season and is now a professional ...

* Juan Morillo * David Patton *

Esmil Rogers Esmil Antonio Rogers (born August 14, 1985) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Mariachis de Guadalajara of the Mexican League. He previously played in the KBO League for the Hanwha Eagles and Nexen Heroes, and in the Chinese P ...

* Pedro Strop * Mike Timlin * Eric Young, Jr. *

Wilin Rosario Wilin Arismendy Rosario Hernández (born February 23, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball catcher and first baseman for the Mariachis de Guadalajara of the Mexican League. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rock ...

Ryan Mattheus Ryan Arthur Mattheus (born November 10, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Cincinnati Reds. He is a sinkerballer. ...

Juan Nicasio Juan Ramón Nicasio (born August 31, 1986) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, P ...

Jon Gray Jonathan Charles Gray (born November 5, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Colorado Rockies. Gray played college baseball for Eastern Oklahoma S ...

Trevor Story Trevor John Story (born November 15, 1992) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies. He made his MLB debut ...

* Nolan Arenado

References

External links

*
Statistics from ''Baseball-Reference''
{{Colorado Sports Professional baseball teams in Colorado Colorado Rockies minor league affiliates Anaheim Angels minor league affiliates Tampa Bay Devil Rays minor league affiliates Texas Rangers minor league affiliates Kansas City Royals minor league affiliates Milwaukee Brewers minor league affiliates Pioneer League (baseball) teams Baseball teams established in 2012 2012 establishments in Colorado Grand Junction, Colorado