# Bristol Pirates

The Bristol Pirates were a Minor League Baseball team in Bristol, Virginia, United States. They were a Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League.
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, and a previous manager was retired Tigers manager Jim Leyland. They were a farm team of the Chicago White Sox 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 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

Bristol Tigers (Appalachian League) :
| Year | | | |
| Year | Record | Win % | Finish* | Manager | Playoffs |
| 1969 | 34-34 | .500 | 3rd South | Bill Lajoie | none |
| 1970 | 26-31 | .464 | 5th AL | Al Lakeman | none |
| 1971 | 31-35 | .470 | 3rd South | Jim Leyland | none |
| 1972 | 40-28 | .588 | 1st AL | Joe Lewis | League Champs No playoffs |
| 1973 | 24-45 | .348 | 7th AL | Joe Lewis | none |
| 1974 | 52-17 | .754 | 1st North | Joe Lewis | League Champs No playoffs |
| 1975 | 37-31 | .544 | 3rd South | Joe Lewis | none |
| 1976 | 35-32 | .522 | 2nd South | Joe Lewis | none |
| 1977 | 43-26 | .614 | 2nd AL | Joe Lewis | League Champs No playoffs |
| 1978 | 35-34 | .507 | 3rd AL | Joe Lewis | none |
| 1979 | 19-50 | .275 | 6th AL | Joe Lewis | none |
| 1980 | 36-33 | .522 | 2nd AL | Tom Kotchman | none |
| 1981 | 29-41 | .414 | 5th AL | Joe Lewis | none |
| 1982 | 28-36 | .438 | 3rd South | Boots Day | none |
| 1983 | 34-38 | .472 | 3rd AL | Boots Day | none |
| 1984 | 37-33 | .529 | 2nd South | Hal Dyer | none |
| 1985 | 44-25 | .638 | 1st AL | Tom Burgess | League Champs No playoffs |
| 1986 | 35-34 | .507 | 3rd South | Tom Gamboa | |
| 1987 | 20-49 | .290 | 4th South | Rick Magnante | |
| 1988 | 46-27 | .630 | 2nd South | Rick Magnante | Lost 1 game playoff |
| 1989 | 28-39 | .418 | 5th South | Rubén Amaro, Sr. | |
| 1990 | 22-46 | .324 | 10th AL | Ken Cunningham | |
| 1991 | 22-44 | .333 | 5th South | Juan Lopez | |
| 1992 | 33-35 | .485 | 3rd South | Mark Wagner | |
| 1993 | 28-39 | .418 | 4th South | Ruben Amaro, Sr. | |
| 1994 | 27-36 | .429 | 4th South | Kevin Bradshaw | |
| Bristol White Sox (Appalachian League) |||||||||
| 1995 | 28-39 | .418 | 4th South | Chris Cron | |
| 1996 | 17-51 | .450 | 4th South | Nick Capra | |
| 1997 | 30-38 | .441 | 4th West | Nick Capra | |
| 1998 | 42-24 | .636 | 1st West | Nick Capra | League Champs |
| 1999 | 45-24 | .652 | 2nd West | Gary Pellant | |
| 2000 | 34-33 | .507 | 4th South | R.J. Reynolds | |
| 2001 | 38-26 | .594 | 2nd South | John Orton | |
| 2002 | 43-25 | .632 | 1st South | Nick Leyva | League Champs |
| 2003 | 33-33 | .500 | 6th AL | Jerry Hairston, Sr. | |
| 2004 | 27-38 | .415 | 5th West | Jerry Hairston, Sr. | |
| 2005 | 30-36 | .455 | 2nd West | Jerry Hairston, Sr. | |
| 2006 | 22-42 | .344 | 5th West | Nick Leyva | |
| 2007 | 25-43 | .368 | 4th West | Bobby Thigpen | |
| 2008 | 34-30 | .531 | 3rd West | Bobby Thigpen | |
| 2009 | 27-39 | .409 | 4th West | Ryan Newman | |
| 2010 | 32-36 | .471 | 3rd West | Ryan Newman | |
| 2011 | 24-44 | .353 | 5th West | Pete Rose Jr. | |
| 2012 | 19-46 | .292 | 5th West | Pete Rose Jr. | |
| 2013 | 20-45 | .308 | 5th West | Mike Gellinger | |
| Bristol Pirates (Appalachian League) |||||||||
| 2014 | 22-46 | .324 | 5th West | Edgar Varela | |
| 2015 | 29-36 | .446 | 4th West | Edgar Varela | |
| 2016 | 25-43 | .368 | 5th West | Kory DeHaan | |
| 2017 | 17-49 | .258 | 5th West | Miguel Perez | |

## 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