| Grand Junction Jackalopes | |
|---|---|
| |
 | |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Independent (from 2021) |
| Previous classes | Rookie (1978–1985, 1987–2020) |
Previous leagues | Pioneer League (1978–1985, 1987–2025) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Team | Independent (from 2021) |
| Previous teams |
|
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles(2) |
|
| Division titles(4) |
|
| Team data | |
| Name | Grand Junction Jackalopes (2023–2025) |
Previous names |
|
| Colors | Purple majesty, sky blue, desert sunset[1] |
| Mascot | Jake the Jacked-alope |
| Ballpark | Suplizio Field (2012–2025) |
Previous parks |
|
| President | Mick Ritter |
| Manager | Frank Gonzales |
| Website | gjjackalopes |
TheGrand Junction Jackalopes were an independent baseball team of thePioneer League, which is not affiliated withMajor League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They were located inGrand Junction, Colorado, and played their home games atSuplizio Field. They were formerly named theRockies, after theColorado Rockies, who were their major league affiliate from 2001 to 2020 prior to the league becoming independent.
The Butte Copper Kings, named for theonce-powerful owners of thecopper mines ofButte, Montana, began play in the Pioneer League in1978 as a co-op team with players from thePhiladelphia Phillies,Oakland Athletics,Seattle Mariners, andTexas Rangers organizations as well as a fewfree agents.[2]
Beginning in1987, the franchise had been operated by Silverbow Baseball. It was sold in1996 to theGoldklang 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 in1994.[3] Silverbow had attempted to sell the franchise in 1994 to investors fromCalifornia, but the deal fell through when it was determined that Silverbow owned a lesser percentage of the franchise than he had purported to own.[4]
Following the2000 season, the team relocated toCasper, Wyoming as the Casper Rockies (and was renamed the Ghosts before the2008 season,[5]) and affiliated withColorado.[6]
On January 13, 2011, Casper Professional Baseball Club, LLC announced the sale of the team to Monfort Investment Group, a group headed byColorado Rockies General Partners.[7] 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.[8]
In conjunction with a contraction ofMinor League Baseball in 2021, the Pioneer League was converted from an MLB-affiliatedRookie Advanced league to anindependent baseball league and granted status as an MLB Partner League, with Grand Junction continuing as a member.[9]
On November 4, 2022, the team officially announced their new name of the Grand JunctionJackalopes.[10]
In 2025, the Jackalopes announced that they would adopt the name Grand JunctionHumpback Chubs, after a fish found in theColorado River, for Wednesday home games.[11]
The Jackalopes announced they will be relocating from Grand Junction to a new location in 2026.[12]
| Active (25-man) Roster | Coaching Staff |
|---|---|
Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
| Manager
Coaches
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Butte Copper Kings,[13] Casper Rockies and Casper Ghosts[14] players who have made appearances onMajor League teams:
