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 league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

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

Grand Junction, Colorado Grand Junction is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and largest city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction's population was 65,560 at the 2020 United St ...

, and play their home games at

Suplizio Field Sam Suplizio Field is a baseball park in the western United States, located in Grand Junction, Colorado.

. 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

, 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 the 2 ...

, 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. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

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

, and Texas Rangers organizations as well as a few

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

s. Beginning in , the franchise had been operated by Silverbow Baseball. It was sold in to the

Goldklang Group The Goldklang Group is a sports ownership and management group. Led by Marvin Goldklang, the group includes Jeff Goldklang, Bill Murray, Mike Veeck, and Tom Whaley. The Goldklang Group owns the Charleston RiverDogs of the Carolina League and t ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, but the deal fell through when it was determined that Silverbow owned a lesser percentage of the franchise than he 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 List of municipalities in Wyoming, second-most populous city in the state after Cheyenne, Wyoming, Cheyenne, with the population at 59,038 as of th ...

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

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. On January 13, 2011, Casper Professional Baseball Club, LLC announced the sale of the team to Monfort Investment Group, a group headed by

General Partners. On 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 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 ...

in 2021, the Pioneer League was converted from an MLB-affiliated

Rookie Advanced 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 ...

league to an

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball). Inde ...

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

Jackalope The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. The word ''jackalope'' is a portmanteau of ''jackrabbit'' and ''antelope''. Many jackalope taxidermy mounts, including the original, ...

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 designated hitter and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). Fielder was a power hitter in the 1980s and 1990s. He attended college at the Univers ...

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 Indi ...

Rich Aurilia Richard Santo Aurilia (; born September 2, 1971) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1995 and 2009 for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnat ...

* Jake Bird *

Julio Franco Julio César Franco Robles (born August 23, 1958)Franco's birth date is in question. Many of his early bios and cards have his birthday listed in 1954, and on the roster of the Quintana Roo Tigres, his birthday is listed in 1961. is a Dominic ...

Bobby Jenks Robert Scott Jenks (born March 14, 1981) is an American professional baseball coach (baseball), coach and former pitcher who is currently the manager (baseball), manager for the Windy City ThunderBolts of the Frontier League. He played in Major ...

Robb Nen Robb Allen Nen (born November 28, 1969) is an American 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. Nen pitched for the Florida ...

Roger Pavlik Roger Allen Pavlik (born October 4, 1967) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Texas Rangers from 1992 to 1998. Pavlik was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the second round of the 1986 draft out of Aldine High S ...

* Francisco Rodríguez *

Kevin Seitzer Kevin Lee Seitzer (; born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who is currently the hitting coach for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee ...

Mike Napoli Michael Anthony Napoli (born October 31, 1981) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and catcher who is currently serving as a staff assistant for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected in the 1 ...

Alfredo Amézaga Alfredo Amézaga Delgado (; ; born January 16, 1978) is a Mexican former professional baseball center fielder and infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2004 to 2011 for the Anaheim Angels, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, ...

* Andy Barkett *

Andy Beene Ramon Andrew Beene (born October 13, 1956) is an American 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 the ...

* Mark Brandenburg *

Mickey Callaway Michael Christopher Callaway (born May 13, 1975) is an American professional baseball coach and former pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Anaheim Angels, and Texas Rangers and in the KBO Leagu ...

* Juan Castillo * Bryan Clutterbuck *

Cris Colón Cristóbal Colón (born January 3, 1969) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers (1992). He was a switch-hitting batter. Colón was born in La Guaira, Vargas ...

* 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 (–), Philadelphia Phi ...

Joey Eischen Joseph Raymond Eischen (born May 25, 1970) is an American 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 ...

* Trevor Enders *

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 Phi ...

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 colle ...

* Jeff Frye *

Benji Gil Romar Benjamín Gil Aguilar (born October 6, 1972) is a Mexican former professional baseball infielder and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers and the Anaheim Angels with whom he won the 2002 World Series. He w ...

* Donald Harris *

Todd Helton Todd Lynn Helton (born August 20, 1973) is an American former professional baseball first baseman who played his entire 17-year career for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). A five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and t ...

* Matt Hensley * Dion James *

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– ...

Terrell Lowery Quenton Terrell Lowery (born October 25, 1970) is an American former baseball player for the Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and San Francisco Giants. High school Lowery attended Oakland Technical High School, graduating with a 25-points pe ...

* Bill Lyons *

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 betwe ...

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 T ...

Brian Meadows Matthew Brian Meadows (born November 21, 1975) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Meadows pitched with the Florida Marlins for two years. He won 11 games in back to back seasons (1998, 1999) despite having an ERA over 5. ...

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 Alberto A. Arias (born October 14, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. In , Arias played in Minor League Baseball with the Tulsa Drillers. Arias made his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies in and made 6 relief appearanc ...

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 ...

Manuel Corpas Manuel Corpas (born December 3, 1982) is a Panamanian professional baseball field manager for the Monterey Amberjacks of the Pecos League. He was previously a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs. Ca ...

* Dexter Fowler * 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 Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and Toronto Blue Jays. Professional ca ...

* Josh Newman *

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 who is a hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Rock ...

* 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 ...

* Jermaine Van Buren *

Eduardo Villacis Eduardo Enrique Villacis (born August 29, 1979) is a retired starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City Royals in their 2004 season. Listed at , , Villacis batted and threw right handed. He was born in Caracas, Ven ...

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 an ...

Jhoulys Chacín Jhoulys Jose Chacín Molina ( ; born January 7, 1988) is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles ...

* Matt Daley * Juan Morillo * David Patton *

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

Pedro Strop Pedro Ángel Strop (born June 13, 1985) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago Cubs. Care ...

Mike Timlin Michael August Timlin (; born March 10, 1966) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. Timlin played on four World Series championship teams in an 18-year career; the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays, 1993 Toronto Blue Jays, 2004 Bost ...

* Eric Young, Jr. *

Wilin Rosario Wilin Arismendy Rosario Hernández (born February 23, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball catcher and first baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, the KBO League for ...

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, Ph ...

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

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

Nolan Arenado Nolan James Arenado (; born April 16, 1991) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). Arenado is widely recognized as one of the best defensive third basemen of all time. He is ...

References

External links

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