Northwest 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.
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| Formerly | Western International League (1937–1954) High-A West (2021) |
|---|---|
| Classification | High-A (2021–present) Class A Short Season (1966–2020) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | 1955 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Countries | United States and Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Vancouver Canadians (2023) |
| Most titles | Eugene Emeralds (8) Spokane Indians (8) Yakima Bears (8) |
| Official website | www |
History
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 league switched to the short season schedule in 1966;[6] between then and 1982, the NWL fluctuated between four, six, and eight clubs. In 1983, the league returned to an eight-team circuit, which it maintained through 2019.
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.[7][8] 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.[9] 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 in 2022.[10]
Current teams
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Current team locations
1 2 3 4 5 6
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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.[11]
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).[11]
Northwest League teams (1955–present)
Cities that have hosted NWL teams
British Columbia
IdahoOregon
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Washington
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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
Eight 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 Martínez – Bellingham Mariners, 1983; inducted in 2019
- Mike Piazza – Salem Dodgers, 1989; inducted in 2016
- Ozzie Smith – Walla Walla Padres, 1977; inducted in 2002
Notable alumni
- Sandy 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 & 1977
- Jason Bartlett – Eugene Emeralds, 2001
- Glenn Beckert - Wenatchee Chiefs, 1963
- Dante Bichette – Salem Angels, 1984
- Carlos Beltrán – Spokane Indians, 1996
- Dallas Braden – Vancouver Canadians, 2004
- Kris Bryant - Boise Hawks, 2013
- Bert Campaneris - Lewiston Broncs, 1963
- Tom Candiotti - Victoria Mussels, 1979
- José 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 González – Yakima Bears, 2004
- Khalil Greene – Eugene Emeralds, 2002
- Pedro Guerrero – Bellingham Dodgers, 1974
- Bob Hamelin – Eugene Emeralds, 1988
- Dave Henderson - Bellingham Mariners, 1977
- Félix Hernández – 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 Pérez – 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 Rodríguez – 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, 2012
References
- 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.
- "Broncs get confirmation from A's on '66 working agreement". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). March 2, 1966. p. 13.
- "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.
- "Northwest League Past Champions". Northwest League. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
External links
