Northwest League
Northwest League | |
---|---|
Sport | Baseball |
Founded | 1955 |
No. of teams | 8 |
Country(ies) | United States Canada |
Most recent champion(s) | Salem-Keizer Volcanoes |
Official website | Official Website |
The Northwest League is a class A minor league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 (with time out for WWII) and class A from 1952-1954. The league changed its named and dropped back down to class B for the 1955 season.
The Northwest League (or the Northwestern League) has existed in various forms since 1901, and has been in its current incarnation since 1955.
The original seven charter teams were the Salem Senators, Eugene Emeralds, Yakima Bears, Spokane Indians, Tri-City Braves, Wenatchee Chiefs, and the Lewiston (Idaho) Broncs. At the time of its 50th anniversary season in 2004, five of the seven original cities were still in the league.
The league is classified as a short-season Class A league, which means that its season does not start until June, after major-league teams have signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ends in September. It has eight teams, each of which is associated with an MLB team:
Contents |
Current Teams
Name | MLB Affiliation | Stadium |
---|---|---|
Boise Hawks | Chicago Cubs | Memorial Stadium |
Spokane Indians | Texas Rangers | Avista Stadium |
Tri-City Dust Devils | Colorado Rockies | Tri-City Stadium |
Yakima Bears | Arizona Diamondbacks | Yakima County Stadium |
Name | MLB Affiliation | Stadium |
---|---|---|
Eugene Emeralds | San Diego Padres | Civic Stadium |
Everett AquaSox | Seattle Mariners | Everett Memorial Stadium |
Salem-Keizer Volcanoes | San Francisco Giants | Volcanoes Stadium |
Vancouver Canadians | Oakland Athletics | Nat Bailey Stadium |
Former Northwest League Teams (1955-)
Notable Alumni
Three alumn of the Northwest League are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame: Reggie Jackson (Lewiston Broncos, 1966), Ozzie Smith (, 1977), and Tony Gwynn (, 1981).
Other notable alumni include:
-Sandy Alomar, Jr. (Spokane Indians, 1984)
-Kevin Appier (Eugene Emeralds, 1987)
-Pedro Astacio (Yakima Bears, 1990)
-Garrett Atkins (Portland Rockies, 2000)
- (Portland Mavericks, 1973 & 1977)
-Jason Bartlett (Eugene Emeralds, 2001)
-José Canseco (, 1983)
-Eric Davis (Eugene Emeralds, 1980-81)
-Todd Field (Portland Mavericks batboy, 1976 & 1977)
-Chone Figgins (Portland Rockies, 1998)
-George Foster (, 1968)
-Julio Franco (, 1979)
-Tom Gordon (Eugene Emeralds, 1987)
-Khalil Greene (Eugene Emeralds, 2002)
-Ken Griffey, Jr. (Bellingham Mariners, 1987)
-Pedro Guerrero (Bellingham Dodgers, 1974)
-Rickey Henderson (, 1976)
-Rick Monday (Lewiston Broncos, 1965)
-Joe Nathan (Bellingham Giants, 1995; Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, 1997)
-Mike Piazza (Salem Dodgers, 1989)
-Kurt Russell (Portland Mavericks, 1977)
-Tim Salmon (, 1989)
-Mike Scioscia (Bellingham Dodgers, 1976)
- (Portland Mavericks, 1975 & 1976)
See also
External links
Northwest League | ||
Eastern Division | Western Division | |
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Boise Hawks | Spokane Indians | Tri-City Dust Devils | Yakima Bears | Eugene Emeralds | Everett AquaSox | Salem-Keizer Volcanoes | Vancouver Canadians |