Caleb Farmer, above, went from playing for CMU to playing for the Grand Junction Rockies during the summer. Farmer had six home runs and 25 RBI during his time with the Rockies. Shawn Ross, left, hit 24 home runs —tied for the third in the Pinoeer League — for the 2022 champions.
Grand Junction Rockies pitcher Trey Morrill delivers a pitch last Saturday in the Rockies' game with Boise at Suplizio Field. Morrill pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts as the Rockies rallied to win.
Shawn Ross makes contact in the first inning of the Grand Junction Rockies’ playoff game against the Ogden Raptors on Monday at Suplizio Field. The Rockies won 13-5.
Josh Agnew started on the mound for the Rockies in their 13-5 playoff win over the Ogden Raptors on Monday at Suplizio Field. Agnew struck out six and allowed six hits, one earned run and walked one in five innings.
Caleb Farmer, above, went from playing for CMU to playing for the Grand Junction Rockies during the summer. Farmer had six home runs and 25 RBI during his time with the Rockies. Shawn Ross, left, hit 24 home runs —tied for the third in the Pinoeer League — for the 2022 champions.
Scott Crabtree
Grand Junction Rockies pitcher Jimmy Dobrash threw 8 1/3 scoreless innings against the Northern Colorado Owlz on Thursday night.
Grand Junction Rockies pitcher Trey Morrill delivers a pitch last Saturday in the Rockies' game with Boise at Suplizio Field. Morrill pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts as the Rockies rallied to win.
Shawn Ross makes contact in the first inning of the Grand Junction Rockies’ playoff game against the Ogden Raptors on Monday at Suplizio Field. The Rockies won 13-5.
Josh Agnew started on the mound for the Rockies in their 13-5 playoff win over the Ogden Raptors on Monday at Suplizio Field. Agnew struck out six and allowed six hits, one earned run and walked one in five innings.
It was an exciting year for minor league baseball in Grand Junction.
Fans saw a new owner with quite the resume purchase the Grand Junction Rockies just as they were embarking on a championship run and now have a new team to root for.
The 2022 season was the last for the Grand Junction Rockies. In August, GJR, LLC — essentially a limb of the Colorado Rockies — sold the team to Future Legends, which owns the Northern Colorado Owlz, a fellow Pioneer Baseball League team. Future Legends selected Mike Tollin, an Emmy-award winning producer known for “The Last Dance,” as the team’s operating owner.
While the sale was happening, first-year manager Bobby Jenks was turning the GJ Rockies into contenders. Jenks, who helped the Chicago White Sox win the 2005 World Series, built a strong roster of reliable pitchers and consistent hitters. The roster was relatively unscathed when other teams lost key contributors to MLB rosters.
Grand Junction went 36-11 in the second half of the season to vault itself into the playoffs against the Ogden Raptors. After winning the three-game series 2-1, the Rockies beat the Missoula Paddleheads in two games to capture the PBL title. It’s the club’s first championship in Grand Junction and first overall since 1981, then as the Butte Copper Kings. Jenks made his professional debut with the Copper Kings in 2000.
Shawn Ross led the Rockies in home runs with 24 in 81 games. That was third in the Pioneer Baseball League, tying him with Idaho Falls’ Dusty Stroup, who reached 24 in 101 more at-bats and 13 more games. Ross, who was born in Puerto Rico, had a .280 batting average, 90 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Nico Popa led the club in runs scored (88) and hits (159). Josh Agnew threw a team- and PBL-high 102⅓ innings and led both in strikeouts with 98.
The 2022 squad featured faces familiar to locals — former Colorado Mesa slugger Caleb Farmer and former Fruita Monument High School standout Trey Morrill — and the emergence of new fan favorites such as Ross, Popa and Casey Petersen.
In October, Future Legends officially assumed ownership and the club became the Grand Junction Jackalopes in November.
Uniforms, gear and secondary logos are still to be revealed. General Manager Mick Ritter expects those to be ready before the 2023 season starts.
More change could be on the horizon. The Denver Post reported in November that Future Legends, “has plans to further remodel Suplizio Field” which include adding “clubhouses and more ticket windows” to Suplizio Field.
Morning clouds followed by afternoon sun. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the upper 20s.
Chance of Rain: 15%
Sunrise:07:23:08 AM
Sunset:05:31:27 PM
Humidity: 60%
Wind: NNE @ 7 mph
UV Index: 2 Low
Sunday Night
Cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 28F. Winds light and variable.
Mon
61%
15°
35°
MonMonday
35°/15°
Periods of snow. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the mid teens.
Chance of Rain: 61%
Sunrise:07:22:18 AM
Sunset:05:32:37 PM
Humidity: 81%
Wind: N @ 8 mph
UV Index: 1 Low
Monday Night
Snow showers before midnight. Becoming partly cloudy later. Low near 15F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 50%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.
Tue
2%
16°
32°
TueTuesday
32°/16°
Mainly sunny. Highs in the low 30s and lows in the mid teens.
Chance of Rain: 2%
Sunrise:07:21:27 AM
Sunset:05:33:48 PM
Humidity: 51%
Wind: NE @ 5 mph
UV Index: 3 Moderate
Tuesday Night
Clear skies. Low 16F. Winds light and variable.
Wed
4%
22°
36°
WedWednesday
36°/22°
Mainly sunny. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the low 20s.
Chance of Rain: 4%
Sunrise:07:20:34 AM
Sunset:05:34:58 PM
Humidity: 59%
Wind: NE @ 5 mph
UV Index: 3 Moderate
Wednesday Night
Clear skies. Low 22F. Winds light and variable.
Thu
3%
24°
41°
ThuThursday
41°/24°
Sunshine. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the mid 20s.
Chance of Rain: 3%
Sunrise:07:19:40 AM
Sunset:05:36:09 PM
Humidity: 57%
Wind: ENE @ 5 mph
UV Index: 3 Moderate
Thursday Night
Clear to partly cloudy. Low 24F. Winds light and variable.
Fri
3%
29°
42°
FriFriday
42°/29°
More clouds than sun. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the upper 20s.
Chance of Rain: 3%
Sunrise:07:18:43 AM
Sunset:05:37:19 PM
Humidity: 60%
Wind: NNE @ 5 mph
UV Index: 2 Low
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy skies. Low 29F. Winds light and variable.
Sat
14%
26°
44°
SatSaturday
44°/26°
Mix of sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 40s and lows in the mid 20s.
Chance of Rain: 14%
Sunrise:07:17:46 AM
Sunset:05:38:30 PM
Humidity: 61%
Wind: NNE @ 5 mph
UV Index: 3 Moderate
Saturday Night
A few clouds overnight. Low 26F. Winds light and variable.
