Butte Copper Kings

The Butte Copper Kings were the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' first minor league affiliate at the Advanced-Rookie level.

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 and affiliated with Colorado

Affiliation History

Affiliation with Tampa Bay

Butte's affiliation with Tampa Bay lasted for only the 1996 season. The following season, the Devil Rays moved their Advanced-Rookie affiliation to the Princeton Devil Rays of Princeton, WV in the Appalachian League.

Other Affiliations

Year(s)	Parent Club(s)	1978	Co-Op (Seattle & Texas)	1979-81	Milwaukee Brewers	1982-83	Kansas City Royals	1984	Seattle Mariners	1985	Co-Op (Seattle & Los Angeles)	1986	Did not play	1987	Co-Op	1988-92	Texas Rangers	1993-95	Co-Op	1996	Tampa Bay Devil Rays	1997-2000	Anaheim Angels

Stadium

• Alumni Field

Ownership

• Goldklang Group

References

• "Pioneer Adds Butte." Sporting News. 25 February 1978: 63. Print.

External Links

• Butte Copper Kings on Baseball-Reference Bullpen
• Butte Copper Kings on Wikipedia
• Butte Copper Kings on SABR Encyclopedia