51s to play as ‘Reyes de Plata’ in 15 games this season

Las Vegas 51s' Phillip Evans returns to first base to avoid being tagged out by the Colorado Springs Sky Sox during the debut of the "Reyes de Plata" (Silver Kings), part of a new Minor League Baseball initiative, at Cashman Field in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Las Vegas 51s' Gavin Cecchini runs for first base during the debut of the "Reyes de Plata" (Silver Kings), part of a new Minor League Baseball initiative, while playing the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Cashman Field in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Las Vegas 51s' Dominic Smith during the debut of the "Reyes de Plata" (Silver Kings), part of a new Minor League Baseball initiative, while playing the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Cashman Field in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Las Vegas 51s manager Pedro Lopez during the debut of the "Reyes de Plata" (Silver Kings), part of a new Minor League Baseball initiative, before taking on the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Cashman Field in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

Las Vegas 51s mascot Cosmo greets fans during the debut of the "Reyes de Plata" (Silver Kings), part of a new Minor League Baseball initiative, at Cashman Field in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto

The 51s will be one of 33 teams that will participate in Minor League Baseball’s “Copa de la Diverson” (Fun Cup) this season, a year after being one of the first four teams to participate in the “Es Divertido Ser Un Fan” (It’s Fun to be a Fan) initiative aimed at Hispanic fan engagement.

Each of the teams participating will adopt their new identity for “Copa de la Diversion,” games throughout the 2018 season. The “Copa de la Diversion” event series will span 165 games from April through September.

The 51s will transform into the Las Vegas Reyes de Plata (Silver Kings) during those games, wearing special jerseys and hats. The 51s will play as the Reyes de Plata on April 13, 17; May 1, 4, 5, 8, 15, 22, 29; June 5; July 24; Aug. 2, 21, 25, 28.

“Sports teams symbolize their respective community’s uniqueness, often adopting nicknames and logos depicting those special traits,” Kurt Hunzeker, MILB’s vice president of marketing strategy and research, said in a release. “MILB and the participating teams embraced this creative approach when developing the ‘Copa de la Diversion’ brand identities, and the final designs reflect the unique characteristics of each team’s fan base while staying true to MILB’s one-of-a-kind brand of fan-centric fun.”

Other Triple-A teams participating are the Charlotte Knights (Charlotte Caballeros), Durham Bulls (Toros de Durham), El Paso Chihuahuas (same name), Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Lehigh Valley Tocino), Memphis Redbirds (Memphis Musica), Omaha Storm Chasers (Omaha Cazadores de Tormentas), Pawtucket Red Sox (Pawtucket Oso Polares), Round Rock Express (Round Rock Chupacabras), Sacramento River Cats (Sacramento Dorados) and Salt Lake Bees (Abejas de Salt Lake).

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Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.