Northwest League
From SoSH
| Founded: | 1955 |
| No. of Teams: | 8 |
| Class: | A |
| Most recent champion: | Salem-Keizer Volcanoes |
Contents |
League Information
The Northwest League is a class A Minor League Baseball 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.
Current
The Northwest League currently consists of 8 teams, in 2 divisions (MLB affiliate in parenthesis):
East Division
- Boise Hawks (Chicago Cubs)
- Spokane Indians (Texas Rangers)
- Tri-City Dust Devils (Colorado Rockies)
- Yakima Bears (Arizona Diamondbacks)
West Division
- Eugene Emeralds (San Diego Padres)
- Everett AquaSox (Seattle Mariners)
- Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (San Francisco Giants)
- Vancouver Canadians (Oakland Athletics)
Alumni
Three alumni of the Northwest League are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame:
- Reggie Jackson (Lewiston Broncos, 1966)
- Ozzie Smith (Walla Walla Padres, 1977)
- Tony Gwynn (Walla Walla Padres, 1981).
External links
Northwest League - Official Site
