The Bristol Pirates were a
Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
team in
Bristol, Virginia
Bristol is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the Twin cities (geographical proxi ...
, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the
Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden ...
.
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
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
, and a previous manager was retired Tigers manager
Jim Leyland. They were a
farm team
In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...
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) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
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 2–0 to win championship.
Notable alumni
*
Chris Carter (2005)
*
Frank Catalanotto (1992-1993)
*
Tony Clark (1990) MLB All-Star
*
Juan Encarnacion (1994)
*
Mark Fidrych (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 (1995)
*
Jose Lima (1990) MLB All-Star
*
Jerry Manual (1972)
*
Lance Parrish (1974) 8 x MLB All-Star
*
Jon Rauch (1999)
*
Vern Ruhle (1972)
*
Bobby Thigpen (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 (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
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