On Wednesday, December 9, 2021, MLB cut 42 minor league teams. Conceptually, this was designed to get each Major League Team set up with the same number of affiliates, one at each of four levels. Low-A, High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A.
For some, live accessibility and exposure to professional baseball begins with the Minor Leagues. The first professional game I attended was a game between the Tacoma Tigers (then the AAA team of the Oakland A’s) and the Vancouver Canadians (California Angels AAA team) at Cheney Stadium.
Even without going to the games, I remember looking out the car window while traveling down Highway16 from the Kitsap Peninsula to I-5, looking longingly at the first stadium where I saw a professional baseball game.
We are just a couple of weeks away from the beginning of the Minor League season, and there’s a lot for baseball fans to be grateful about. The Minor Leagues went through both a financial and competitive restructuring that will impact the country. Baseball fans in nearly every corner of North America often get their in-game, in-stadium exposure to professional baseball players through minor league affiliates.
Through the efforts of Minor League baseball, there are so many interesting and fun ways to be engaged with baseball. From entertaining mascots to unique backdrops, each team and stadium has a special place in the hearts of the fans.
When MLB realigned, most rookie ball/short-season minor league teams throughout the country had their affiliations dissolved. Twenty-eight of these teams were eliminated. Only a handful of the defunct clubs were in the Northwest, with one team from Idaho and a few teams from Montana. These teams are all now part of the Pioneer League, an Independent league (no affiliations to any club) but an MLB partner league.
Surviving the chopping block and getting a promotion were six teams in the Pacific Northwest. The Class-A short-season Northwest League teams that are now part of the High-A West are the Eugene Emeralds, Everett Aquasox, Hillsboro Hops, Spokane Indians, Tri-City Dust Devils, and the Vancouver Canadians.
Professional baseball in Vancouver dates back to 1922 with the Vancouver Capilanos. One of the original members of the Northwest League, the Canadians came to be in 1946.
The most notable thing about the Canadians is the use of their stadium in films over the last forty years. Nat Bailey Stadium traces its origins back to 1951 and was originally called Capilanos Stadium. If the stadium looks familiar, it’s not a coincidence. The ballpark was featured in “Highlanders,” “Psych,” and “MacGyver.”
The Canadians have been as high as Triple-A and as low on the minor league totem pole as short-season. This year they are back to an entire season of games. Due to the COVID restrictions in Canada, where they will play is still up in the air. With an average of over 6,000 fans per game last season, they were in the top 10 overall for attendance-to-capacity.
The oldest team in this group is the Spokane Indians. This former Pacific Coast League (Triple-A) team dates back to 1892. Though the Indians’ name came about in 1903. The history behind the Spokane Indians is exceptional.
In 1946, the team was traveling by bus from Spokane to play the Kitsap Bluejackets in Bremerton. While making the trip through Snoqualmie Pass, the team bus swerved to miss an oncoming car and slid off the road and down a short cliff where it burst into flames. Nine baseball players died as a result of the crash.
In 1970, Tommy Lasorda managed the Indians to an incredible 94-52 record and won the Pacific Coast League by 26 games. From 1983-2020, Spokane played in the Northwest League. This year they are part of High-A West and in a new relationship with the Colorado Rockies. The Indians routinely clear 200,000 fans annually, and with an extended season, that number should get closer to 400,000.
Since 1955, the Emeralds have been affiliated with nine major league teams, several multiple times. At one point, the Emeralds had the longest drought of any minor league team without a league championship. From 1980 to 2016, the Emeralds struggled to make the playoffs (5 times in 36 years).
Eugene, like other Pacific Northwest teams, also played in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Hall-Of-Famer Mike Schmidt played for the Emeralds, as did Jim Bunning. One of the neatest historical events took place in Eugene at Bethel Park. Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson had his first professional hit and home run in this park.
Currently a Giants affiliate (this year), the Emeralds had previous agreements with the Cubs, Padres, Braves, Royals, Reds, Phillies, Cardinals, and White Sox. They were originally a Giants minor league team, so it has now come full circle.
In 1984, the Everett Aquasox became a minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Bob Bavasi rescued the team from Walla Walla in 1983. Two years later, they changed affiliation to the Seattle Mariners.
While there is history with Everett (Ken Griffey Jr’s first professional home run was against the Everett Giants), it’s the current home for the Mariners High-A minor league team. Their roster will be the highlight to start this season. Featuring top prospects George Kirby, Juan Then, and Julio Rodriguez at some point this season, fans could also see Noelvi Marte and other future Seattle Mariners stars in Everett.
The Aquasox play their home games at Funko Field, which has been around since 1947, making it one of the older parks in America.
The first of two Northwest League teams that have only ever been a short-season team. Tri-City fans will get to experience a full minor league season. There were other teams in the Tri-City area, and that had even carried the name Tri-City. However, this team is relatively new (established in 2000). One an original minor league team of the Colorado Rockies, they are now part of the Angels system (2021).
The Dust Devils play at Gesa Stadium, which opened in 1995. Previously it was the home stadium of the Tri-City Posse, which was a member of n professional independent league team. The locals refer to the stadium as Dust Devil stadium despite Gesa having the naming rights.
The newest member of this neat conglomeration of short-season teams is the Hillsboro Hops (2013). Arizona is the only MLB affiliation in the Hops short history. Despite how new this team is, they have one of the strongest attendance resumes since their inception.
Their popularity is partially due to no other minor league affiliates in Portland (Hillsboro is a suburb). The Hops have won three championships in their short history and they are the current defending champions of the now-defunct Northwest League.
Playing their games at Ron Tonkin Field (4,710 capacity), they have led the Northwest League in attendance. Their average of just north of 3,774 fans per game in 2015 was the best average to capacity (80.12%) in all of the minors. They are routinely in the top 10 in this category.
Minor League baseball is absolutely an important part of the entire baseball experience. There isn’t a feeder system in professional sports similar in scope to what Minor League baseball provides. The NHL is the closest, but attendance and consistent affiliation are both a struggle for the 4th most popular North American sport.
Getting out to a local venue to support professional baseball can be a wonderful experience, even if they aren’t affiliated with your favorite team. Minor League baseball is about to start again. The season is a month delayed, rather than a week delayed, but it will happen. In the Northwest, there will be more opportunities to see baseball because of these six teams and all of your other favorite area minor league teams.
Joe Swenson is a lifelong Seattle Sports fan, author of Letter #3 and the soon-to-be-published The Key. He’s also a co-host of the popular sports podcast, In The Clutch. Additionally, Joe is president, director, writer, and producer of Broken Arts Entertainment.