Northwest League

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 or North West League (disambiguation).

Northwest League

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(70 years ago) (1955)
No. of teams	6
Countries	United States and Canada
Most recent champion(s)	Spokane Indians (2024)
Most titles	Spokane Indians (9)
Official website	www.mlb.com/milb

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.

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

Team	Founded	MLB affiliation	City	Stadium	Capacity
Eugene Emeralds	1955	San Francisco Giants	Eugene, Oregon	PK Park	4,000
Everett AquaSox	1995	Seattle Mariners	Everett, Washington	Funko Field	3,682
Hillsboro Hops	2013	Arizona Diamondbacks	Hillsboro, Oregon	Hillsboro Ballpark	4,500
Spokane Indians	1898	Colorado Rockies	Spokane, Washington	Avista Stadium	6,803
Tri-City Dust Devils	2001	Los Angeles Angels	Pasco, Washington	Gesa Stadium	3,654
Vancouver Canadians	2000	Toronto Blue Jays	Vancouver, British Columbia	Nat Bailey Stadium	6,500

100km
62miles

Canadians

6

Dust Devils

5

Indians

4

Hops

3

AquaSox

2

Emeralds

1

'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000028-QINU`"'  

Current team locations

1

Eugene Emeralds

2

Everett AquaSox

3

Hillsboro Hops

4

Spokane Indians

5

Tri-City Dust Devils

6

Vancouver Canadians

Champions

Main 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. ^[11]

The Spokane Indians have won 9 championships, the most in the league. ^[11]

Northwest League teams (1955–present)

Bellingham 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

British Columbia New Westminster: 1974 (1 season) Vancouver: 2000–2023 (24 seasons) Victoria: 1978–1980 (3 seasons) Idaho Boise: 1975–1976, 1978, 1987–2020 (34 seasons) Lewiston: 1955–1974 (20 seasons) Oregon Bend: 1970–1971, 1978–1994 (19 seasons) North Bend: 1970–1972 (3 seasons) Eugene: 1955–1968, 1974–2024 (64 seasons) Hillsboro: 2013–2024 (11 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 Aberdeen: 1976–1980 (5 seasons) Bellingham: 1973–1996 (24 seasons) Everett: 1984–2023 (40 seasons) Seattle: 1972–1976 (5 seasons) Spokane: 1955–1956, 1972, 1983–2023 (44 seasons) Tri-Cities: 1955–1974, 1983–1986, 2001–2023 (44 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

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

See also

• Northwest League Manager of the Year Award
• Northwest League Most Valuable Player Award
• Sports league attendances

References

1. 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.
2. "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.
3. "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.
4. "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.
5. 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.
6. "Broncs get confirmation from A's on '66 working agreement". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). March 2, 1966. p. 13. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
7. "A Message From Pat O'Conner". Minor League Baseball. March 13, 2020. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
8. "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
9. Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
10. "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
11. "Northwest League Past Champions". Northwest League. Minor League Baseball. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2017.

External links

• Official website
• Statistics from Baseball-Reference