Northwest League
The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A Short Season minor league in the northwest United States and western Canada. The NWL's short season starts in mid-June, after major league teams have signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ends in early September. All eight teams are affiliated with a major league team.
The Northwest League has existed in various forms since 1890, and has been in its current incarnation since 1955. The current NWL is the descendant of the Western International League, a Class B league from 1937 to 1951 and Class A from 1952 to 1954. The league reformed as the Northwest League and dropped to Class B for the 1955 season.
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. During its fiftieth season in 2004, five of the seven original cities were in the league. The Northwest League switched to the short season schedule in 1966, with only four teams, and expanded to six in 1970.
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.
Current teams
| Division | Team | MLB Affiliation | City | Stadium | Seating Capacity | Attendance | Average |
| North | Everett AquaSox | Seattle Mariners | Everett, Washington | Funko Field | 3,682 | 110,161 | 2,899 |
| North | Spokane Indians | Texas Rangers | Spokane, Washington | Avista Stadium | 6,803 | 196,653 | 5,315 |
| North | Tri-City Dust Devils | San Diego Padres | Pasco, Washington | Gesa Stadium | 3,654 | 86,461 | 2,275 |
| North | Vancouver Canadians | Toronto Blue Jays | Vancouver, British Columbia | Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium | 6,500 | 239,527 | 6,303 |
| South | Boise Hawks | Colorado Rockies | Boise, Idaho | Memorial Stadium | 4,500 | 121,455 | 3,196 |
| South | Eugene Emeralds | Chicago Cubs | Eugene, Oregon | PK Park | 4,000 | 125,297 | 3,297 |
| South | Hillsboro Hops | Arizona Diamondbacks | Hillsboro, Oregon | Ron Tonkin Field | 4,500 | 128,416 | 3,379 |
| South | Salem-Keizer Volcanoes | San Francisco Giants | Keizer, Oregon | Volcanoes Stadium | 4,250 | 81,011 | 2,132 |
Current team rosters
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.The Spokane Indians and Yakima Bears have each won 8 championships, the most among all teams in the league, followed by the Boise Hawks and Eugene Emeralds.
Former Northwest League teams (1955–)
- Bellingham Dodgers – 1973–76
- Bellingham Mariners – 1977–94
- Bellingham Giants – 1995–96
- Bend Rainbows – 1970–71
- Bend Timber Hawks – 1978
- Central Oregon Phillies – 1979–80
- Bend Phillies – 1981–86
- Bend Bucks – 1987–91
- Bend Rockies – 1992–94
- Blue Mountain Bears – 1983
- Boise A's – 1975–76
- Boise Buckskins – 1978
- Everett Giants 1984–94
- Grays Harbor Loggers – 1977–78, '80
- Grays Harbor Mets – 1979
- Grays Harbor Ports – 1976
- Lewiston Broncs – 1955–74
- Medford Giants – 1967–68
- Medford Dodgers – 1969–71, later *Rogue Valley Dodgers- 1969–71
- Medford A's – 1979–87 – later *Southern Oregon A's – 1988–95 and
- Southern Oregon Timberjacks – 1996–99
- New Westminster Frasers – 1974
- North Bend-Coos Bay A's – 1970–73
- Portland Mavericks – 1973–77
- Portland Rockies – 1995–2000
- Salem Senators – 1955–60, '77–81
- Salem Dodgers – 1961–65,
- Salem Dodgers – 1988–89
- Salem Angels – 1982–87
- Seattle Rainiers – 1972–76
- Tri-City Braves – 1955–60
- Tri-City Atoms – 1961, '65–68
- Tri-City Angels – 1963–64
- Tri-City A's – 1969
- Tri-City Padres – 1970–72
- Tri-City Ports – 1974
- Tri-City Triplets – 1973, '83–86
- Victoria Mussels – 1978–79
- Victoria Blues – 1980
- Walla Walla Phillies – 1969–71
- Walla Walla Islanders – 1972
- Walla Walla Padres – 1973–82
- Wenatchee Chiefs – 1955–65
- Wenatchee Rapids
- Yakima Bears – 1955–1964
- Yakima Bears - 1990–2012
- Yakima Valley Braves – 1965–66
Cities that have hosted NWL teams
British Columbia
- New Westminster: 1974
- Vancouver: 2000–
- Victoria: 1978–80
Idaho
- Boise: 1975–76, 1978, 1987–
- Lewiston: 1955–1974
Oregon
- Bend: 1970–71, 1978–94
- North Bend: 1970–72
- Eugene: 1955–68, 1974–
- Hillsboro: 2013–
- Keizer: 1997-
- Medford: 1967–71, 1979–99
- Portland: 1973–77, 1995–2000
- Salem: 1955–65, 1977–89, 1997–
Washington
- Aberdeen: 1976–80
- Bellingham: 1973–96
- Everett: 1984–
- Seattle: 1972–76
- Spokane: 1955–56, 1972, 1983–
- Tri-Cities: 1955–74, 1983–86, 2001–
- Walla Walla: 1969–83
- Wenatchee: 1955–65
- Yakima: 1955–66, 1990–2012
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