Butte Copper Kings
The Butte Copper Kings were the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' first minor league affiliate at the Advanced-Rookie level.
Contents
General History
The Copper Kings, named for the once-powerful owners of the copper mines around Butte, MT, began play in the Advanced-Rookie Pioneer League in 1978 as a co-op team with players from the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers organizations.
Following the 2000 season, the team relocated to Casper, WY as the Casper Rockies (renamed to the Ghosts in 2009) and affiliated with Colorado. On January 13, 2011, The team issued a press release announcing its purchase by Monfort Investment Group, the same group which owns its Major League parent club.
Affiliation History
Team Affiliations
| Year(s) | Parent Club(s) | 1978 | Co-Op (Seattle & Texas) | 1979-81 | Milwaukee | 1982-83 | Kansas City | 1984 | Seattle | 1985 | Co-Op (Los Angeles & Seattle) | 1986 | Did not play | 1987 | Co-Op (Milwaukee, Pittsburgh & Texas) | 1988-92 | Texas | 1993-95 | Co-Op | 1996 | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 1997-2000 | Anaheim |
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Affiliation with Tampa Bay
Butte's affiliation with Tampa Bay, announced August 26, 1995, lasted for only the 1996 season. The following year, the Devil Rays moved their Advanced-Rookie affiliation to the Princeton Devil Rays of Princeton, WV in the Appalachian League.
Stadium
Ownership
References
- "Pioneer Adds Butte." Sporting News. 25 February 1978: 63. Print.
- "Transactions - Baseball". Eugene Register-Guard. 27 August 1995: 6E.
- "Affiliations: Pioneer League". Pioneer Baseball League. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
- "Monfort Investment Group Purchases Casper Ghosts" Casper Ghosts. 13 January 2011. Press Release. Retreived 9 May 2011.
External Links
- Butte Copper Kings on Baseball-Reference Bullpen
- Butte Copper Kings on Wikipedia
- Butte Copper Kings on SABR Encyclopedia
