The Northwest League (or the Northwestern League) has existed in various forms since 1890, and has been in its current incarnation since 1955.[1] The current NWL is the descendant of the Western International League (WIL), a Class B league from 1937 to 1951 (with a stoppage during World War II) and Class A from 1952 to 1954. The league reformed as the Northwest League and dropped to Class B for the 1955 season.[2][3] The WIL had ten teams in its final season, with four in Canada.
In 1955, the Northwest League was formed, with seven charter teams: Salem Senators, Eugene Emeralds, Yakima Bears, Spokane Indians, Tri-City Braves, Wenatchee Chiefs, and Lewiston Broncs.[4][5] The Northwest League switched to the short season schedule in 1966. Between 1966 and 1982 the league fluctuated between four, six, and eight clubs. In 1983, the league returned to an eight team circuit, which it maintained through the 2019 season.
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.[6][7] As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the Northwest League was promoted to High-A, reduced to six teams, and renamed the "High-A West" for the 2021 season.[8] The two dropped teams were the Boise Hawks and Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the High-A West was renamed the Northwest League effective with the 2022 season.[9]
League champions have been determined by different means since the Northwest League's formation in 1955. Except for 1956, 1960, and from 1966 to 1973, all seasons have ended with playoffs to determine a league champion.[10]
^Missildine, Harry (April 20, 1972). "Northwest League goes back to 1890". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 22. from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
^"Spokane gets berth in new ball league". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. November 8, 1954. p. 18. from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
^"Indians "on first" in baseball plans". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. November 9, 1954. p. 14. from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
^"Northwest loop begins to shape into a tight seven-team battle". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. June 11, 1955. p. 8. from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
^Rodman, Bob (June 17, 1981). "29 years of minor league baseball". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 1E. from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
^"A Message From Pat O'Conner". Minor League Baseball. March 13, 2020. from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
^"2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
^Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
^"Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
^ ab"Northwest League Past Champions". Northwest League. Minor League Baseball. from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northwest League.
Official website
Statistics from Baseball-Reference
May 16, 2023
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This article is about the Minor League Baseball league that began operations in 1955 For the earlier league see Pacific Northwest League Not to be confused with Northwestern League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada A Class A Short Season league for most of its history the league was promoted to High A as part of Major League Baseball s 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues The league operated as the High A West in 2021 then resumed its original moniker in 2022 Northwest LeagueFormerlyWestern International League 1937 1954 High A West 2021 ClassificationHigh A 2021 present Class A Short Season 1966 2020 SportBaseballFounded1955 68 years ago 1955 No of teams6CountriesUnited States and CanadaMost recentchampion s Eugene Emeralds 2022 Most titlesEugene Emeralds 8 Spokane Indians 8 Yakima Bears 8 Official websitewww wbr milb wbr com Contents 1 History 2 Current teams 3 Champions 4 Northwest League teams 1955 present 4 1 Cities that have hosted NWL teams 4 1 1 British Columbia 4 1 2 Idaho 4 1 3 Oregon 4 1 4 Washington 5 Hall of Fame alumni 6 Notable alumni 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksHistory EditThe Northwest League or the Northwestern League has existed in various forms since 1890 and has been in its current incarnation since 1955 1 The current NWL is the descendant of the Western International League WIL a Class B league from 1937 to 1951 with a stoppage during World War II and Class A from 1952 to 1954 The league reformed as the Northwest League and dropped to Class B for the 1955 season 2 3 The WIL had ten teams in its final season with four in Canada In 1955 the Northwest League was formed with seven charter teams Salem Senators Eugene Emeralds Yakima Bears Spokane Indians Tri City Braves Wenatchee Chiefs and Lewiston Broncs 4 5 The Northwest League switched to the short season schedule in 1966 Between 1966 and 1982 the league fluctuated between four six and eight clubs In 1983 the league returned to an eight team circuit which it maintained through the 2019 season The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID 19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30 6 7 As part of Major League Baseball s 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues the Northwest League was promoted to High A reduced to six teams and renamed the High A West for the 2021 season 8 The two dropped teams were the Boise Hawks and Salem Keizer Volcanoes Following MLB s acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues the High A West was renamed the Northwest League effective with the 2022 season 9 Current teams EditTeam Founded MLB Affiliation City Stadium CapacityEugene Emeralds 1955 San Francisco Giants Eugene Oregon PK Park 4 000Everett AquaSox 1995 Seattle Mariners Everett Washington Funko Field 3 682Hillsboro Hops 2013 Arizona Diamondbacks Hillsboro Oregon Ron Tonkin Field 4 500Spokane Indians 1898 Colorado Rockies Spokane Washington Avista Stadium 6 803Tri City Dust Devils 2001 Los Angeles Angels Pasco Washington Gesa Stadium 3 654Vancouver Canadians 2000 Toronto Blue Jays Vancouver British Columbia Nat Bailey Stadium 6 500 something Interactive fullscreen map This is a stopgap mapping solution while attempts are made to resolve technical difficulties with OSM Location map Current team locationsChampions EditMain article List of Northwest League champions League champions have been determined by different means since the Northwest League s formation in 1955 Except for 1956 1960 and from 1966 to 1973 all seasons have ended with playoffs to determine a league champion 10 The Eugene Emeralds Spokane Indians Yakima Bears have each won 8 championships the most among all teams in the league followed by the Boise Hawks 6 10 Northwest League teams 1955 present EditBellingham Dodgers 1973 1976 Bellingham Mariners 1977 1994 Bellingham Giants 1995 1996 Bend Rainbows 1970 1971 Bend Timber Hawks 1978 Bend Phillies 1981 1986 Bend Bucks 1987 1991 Bend Rockies 1992 1994 Blue Mountain Bears 1983 Boise A s 1975 1976 Boise Buckskins 1978 Boise Hawks 1987 2020 Central Oregon Phillies 1979 1980 Coos Bay North Bend A s 1970 1973 Eugene Emeralds 1955 1968 1974 present Everett AquaSox 1995 present Everett Giants 1984 1994 Grays Harbor Loggers 1977 1978 1980 Grays Harbor Mets 1979 Grays Harbor Ports 1976 Hillsboro Hops 2013 present Lewiston Broncs 1955 1974 Medford Giants 1967 1968 Medford Dodgers 1970 1971 Medford A s 1979 1987 New Westminster Frasers 1974 Portland Mavericks 1973 1977 Portland Rockies 1995 2000 Rogue Valley Dodgers 1969 Salem Keizer Volcanoes 1997 2020 Salem Senators 1955 1960 1977 1981 Salem Dodgers 1961 1965 Salem Dodgers 1988 1989 Salem Angels 1982 1987 Seattle Rainiers 1972 1976 Southern Oregon A s 1988 1995 Southern Oregon Timberjacks 1996 1999 Spokane Indians 1955 1956 1972 1983 present Tri Cities Triplets 1983 1986 Tri City A s 1969 Tri City Angels 1963 1964 Tri City Atoms 1961 1965 1968 Tri City Braves 1955 1960 Tri City Dust Devils 2001 present Tri City Padres 1970 1972 Tri City Ports 1974 Tri City Triplets 1973 Vancouver Canadians 2000 present Victoria Mussels 1978 1979 Victoria Blues 1980 Walla Walla Bears 1969 Walla Walla Phillies 1970 1971 Walla Walla Islanders 1972 Walla Walla Padres 1973 1982 Wenatchee Chiefs 1955 1965 Yakima Bears original 1955 1964 Yakima Bears 1990 2012 Yakima Valley Braves 1965 1966 Cities that have hosted NWL teams Edit British Columbia Edit New Westminster 1974 1 season Vancouver 2000 2021 22 seasons Victoria 1978 1980 3 seasons Idaho Edit Boise 1975 1976 1978 1987 2020 34 seasons Lewiston 1955 1974 20 seasons Oregon Edit Bend 1970 1971 1978 1994 19 seasons North Bend 1970 1972 3 seasons Eugene 1955 1968 1974 2021 60 seasons Hillsboro 2013 8 seasons Keizer Shared with Salem 1997 2020 23 seasons Medford 1967 1971 1979 1999 26 seasons Portland 1973 1977 1995 2000 11 seasons Salem 1955 1965 1977 1989 shared with Keizer 1997 2020 45 seasons Washington Edit Aberdeen 1976 1980 5 seasons Bellingham 1973 1996 24 seasons Everett 1984 2021 35 seasons Seattle 1972 1976 5 seasons Spokane 1955 1956 1972 1983 2021 39 seasons Tri Cities 1955 1974 1983 1986 2001 2021 42 seasons Walla Walla 1969 1983 15 seasons Wenatchee 1955 1965 11 seasons Yakima 1955 1966 1990 2012 35 seasons Eugene is the most tenured city in the NWL having fielded a team in all but five of the NWL s seasons from 1969 73 they had a PCL franchise Hall of Fame alumni EditEight alumni of the Northwest League are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame Bobby Cox Salem Dodgers 1961 62 inducted in 2014 Ken Griffey Jr Bellingham Mariners 1987 inducted in 2016 Tony Gwynn Walla Walla Padres 1981 inducted in 2007 Rickey Henderson Boise A s 1976 inducted in 2009 Reggie Jackson Lewiston Broncs 1966 inducted in 1993 Edgar Martinez Bellingham Mariners 1983 inducted in 2019 Mike Piazza Salem Dodgers 1989 inducted in 2016 Ozzie Smith Walla Walla Padres 1977 inducted in 2002Notable alumni EditSandy Alomar Jr Spokane Indians 1984 Garret Anderson Boise Hawks 1990 Kevin Appier Eugene Emeralds 1987 Pedro Astacio Yakima Bears 1990 Garrett Atkins Portland Rockies 2000 Jim Bouton Portland Mavericks 1973 amp 1977 Jason Bartlett Eugene Emeralds 2001 Glenn Beckert Wenatchee Chiefs 1963 Dante Bichette Salem Angels 1984 Carlos Beltran Spokane Indians 1996 Dallas Braden Vancouver Canadians 2004 Kris Bryant Boise Hawks 2013 Bert Campaneris Lewiston Broncs 1963 Tom Candiotti Victoria Mussels 1979 Jose Canseco Medford A s 1983 Rico Carty Yakima Valley Braves 1962 Ron Cey Tri City Atoms 1968 Aaron Cook Portland Rockies 1998 Ron Coomer Medford A s 1987 Chris Davis Spokane Indians 2006 Eric Davis Eugene Emeralds 1980 81 Mark DeRosa Eugene Emeralds 1996 Dick Dietz Eugene Emeralds 1962 Josh Donaldson Boise Hawks 2007 Dave Duncan Lewiston Broncs 1965 Andre Ethier Vancouver Canadians 2003 Todd Field Portland Mavericks batboy 1976 77 Chone Figgins Portland Rockies 1998 Chuck Finley Salem Angels 1985 George Foster Medford Giants 1968 Matt Franco Portland Mavericks batboy 1977 Julio Franco Central Oregon Phillies 1979 Tom Gordon Eugene Emeralds 1987 Jason Giambi Southern Oregon A s 1992 Carlos Gonzalez Yakima Bears 2004 Khalil Greene Eugene Emeralds 2002 Pedro Guerrero Bellingham Dodgers 1974 Bob Hamelin Eugene Emeralds 1988 Dave Henderson Bellingham Mariners 1977 Felix Hernandez Everett AquaSox 2003 Ken Hubbs Wenatchee Chiefs 1961 Ender Inciarte Yakima Bears 2010 Ian Kinsler Spokane Indians 2003 John Kruk Walla Walla Padres 1981 Paul Konerko Yakima Bears 1994 Adam Jones Everett AquaSox 2003 John Lackey Boise Hawks 1999 Mark Langston Bellingham Mariners 1981 Ted Lilly Yakima Bears 1996 Tim Lincecum Salem Keizer Volcanoes 2006 Kirk McCaskill Salem Angels 1982 Denis Menke Yakima Valley Braves 1960 Wade Miley Yakima Bears 2008 Rick Monday Lewiston Broncos 1965 Bill Murray Grays Harbor Loggers 1978 Joe Nathan Bellingham Giants 1995 Salem Keizer Volcanoes 1997 Claude Osteen Wenatchee Chiefs 1958 Troy Percival Boise Hawks 1991 Eduardo Perez Boise Hawks 1991 Juan Pierre Portland Rockies 1998 Kevin Pillar Vancouver Canadians 2011 Buster Posey Salem Keizer Volcanoes 2008 Mark Reynolds Yakima Bears 2004 Francisco Rodriguez Boise Hawks 1999 Kurt Russell Bend Rainbows Walla Walla Islanders Portland Mavericks 1971 73 1977 Tim Salmon Bend Bucks 1989 Jeff Samardzija Boise Hawks 2006 Casey Sander Seattle Rainiers 1975 Pablo Sandoval Salem Keizer Volcanoes 2005 Kyle Schwarber Boise Hawks 2014 Mike Scioscia Bellingham Dodgers 1976 Braden Shipley Hillsboro Hops 2014 Ted Sizemore Tri City Atoms 1966 Marcus Stroman Vancouver Canadians 2012 Kurt Suzuki Vancouver Canadians 2004 Noah Syndergaard Vancouver Canadians 2011 Dansby Swanson Hillsboro Hops 2015 Mike Sweeney Eugene Emeralds 1992 93 Nick Swisher Vancouver Canadians 2002 Kevin Tapani Medford A s 1986 Miguel Tejada Southern Oregon A s 1995 Tom Treblehorn Bend Rainbows 1970 Trea Turner Eugene Emeralds 2014 Dan Uggla Yakima Bears 2001 Max Venable Bellingham Dodgers 1976 Shane Victorino Yakima Bears 2000 Omar Vizquel Bellingham Mariners 1985 Matt Williams Everett Giants 1986 Mitch Williams Walla Walla Padres 1982 Russell Wilson Tri City Dust Devils 2010 Mike Zunino Everett AquaSox 2012See also EditNorthwest League Most Valuable Player Award Sports league attendancesReferences Edit Missildine Harry April 20 1972 Northwest League goes back to 1890 Spokesman Review Spokane Washington p 22 Archived from the original on January 2 2021 Retrieved October 5 2020 Spokane gets berth in new ball league Spokane Daily Chronicle Washington November 8 1954 p 18 Archived from the original on January 2 2021 Retrieved October 5 2020 Indians on first in baseball plans Spokesman Review Spokane Washington November 9 1954 p 14 Archived from the original on January 2 2021 Retrieved October 5 2020 Northwest loop begins to shape into a tight seven team battle Spokane Daily Chronicle Washington June 11 1955 p 8 Archived from the original on January 2 2021 Retrieved October 5 2020 Rodman Bob June 17 1981 29 years of minor league baseball Eugene Register Guard Oregon p 1E Archived from the original on January 2 2021 Retrieved October 5 2020 A Message From Pat O Conner Minor League Baseball March 13 2020 Archived from the original on January 2 2021 Retrieved May 5 2020 2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved Minor League Baseball June 30 2020 Archived from the original on January 2 2021 Retrieved July 1 2020 Mayo Jonathan February 12 2021 MLB Announces New Minors Teams Leagues Major League Baseball Retrieved February 12 2021 Historical League Names to Return in 2022 Minor League Baseball March 16 2022 Retrieved March 16 2022 a b Northwest League Past Champions Northwest League Minor League Baseball Archived from the original on January 2 2021 Retrieved August 10 2017 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northwest League Official website Statistics from Baseball Reference Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Northwest League amp oldid 1132161162, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
