The Pickles were charter members of the Great West League, having been founded in 2015 by GWL commissioner Ken Wilson. The Pickles played before 16 sell-outs and to 99% of capacity in their inaugural 2016 season. A month before their second season on April 5, 2017, it was announced that Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan and marketing entrepreneur Alan Miller would become part of the Pickles ownership group, along with members from Rose City Baseball LLC. Former Major League Baseball pitcher and Oregon-native Jeff Lahti took over the managerial role for the 2017 season and the Pickles were eliminated from the Great West League playoffs by the Medford Rogues.
On October 24, 2017, the Pickles announced that they were leaving the GWL and joining the West Coast League. Prior to the 2018 season, Gresham GreyWolves head coach Justin Barchus replaced Lahti as manager. His team won the South Division in the first half of the season with a 17-9 record, securing them a playoff spot in their first year. The Pickles went on to claim the best record in the WCL by going 37-17 overall, but couldn't get past the Corvallis Knights in the first round of playoffs. Justin Barchus went on to win WCL Coach of the Year along with Kelowna Falcons manager Brain Donohue.
CBD Sponsorship
On May 15th, 2019 The Portland Pickles announced a two year long sponsorship with Lazarus Nationals. The deal with the Portland based CBD company acted as the very first deal of its kind in Baseball history. Along with this, Lazarus Nationals sponsored a concert series at the Pickles ballpark, Walker Stadium. The sponsorship also took shape in the form of the Lazarus Nationals Veterans at The Park Program which allows for local veterans to be submitted for special tickets in the Lazarus Nationals Patriot Box at Walker Stadium.
The Portland Gherkins
The Portland Gherkins are a team in the Summer Collegiate West Coast league and farm team to Portland Pickles. The team plays fellow teams in the WCL including the Pickles with Gherkin players given the opportunity to move up to the Pickles roster based on ability. Largely made up of local players, the Gherkins have partnered with the Milwaukie, Oregon based company Dave's Killer Bread where they will act as the official broadcast partner.
Relationship With The Venados
On October 9th, 2019 the Portland Pickles faced off against the Mazatlan Venados in a friendly exhibition game in front of 16,000 people. In the lead up to the historic game, the Pickles held tryouts amongst fans in Portland for the chance to travel with the team to Mexico and play in the game. There is currently a documentary on the game in the works that is slated to be released soon.
