Northwest League (1969-1971) Born: 1969 – Re-branded from Medford Giants Moved: 1971 (Spokane Indians) First Game: June 20, 1969 (W 3-2 vs. Lewiston Broncs) Last Game:
The Victoria Mussels were a British Columbia-based independent minor league baseball team for two summers in 1979 and 1980. The Mussels completed in the Class A Northwest League, which was home to several other independent (non-Major League affiliated) clubs at the time. Pitchers Tom Candiotti and Dale Mohorcic ultimately both advanced from the Mussels to the Major Leagues.
Formed in November 1976, the Bellingham Mariners were the first full minor affiliate announced by the new Seattle Mariners expansion team in the American League. Bellingham, Washington sits on the coastline of Washington State, 90 minutes north of Seattle and 90 minutes south of Vancouver, British Columbia. The Baby M’s produced two future Hall-of-Famers – Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez – during their 18 seasons as a Seattle farm club. The Seattle/Bellingham partnership ended following the 1994 season.
The small city of Medford, Oregon and its tiny Miles Field hosted a low-level farm team of the Oakland Athletics for 21 seasons from 1979 to 1999. The club won the championships of the Class A Northwest League twice, in 1981 and 1983, while it was known as the Medford A’s. Prior to the 1988 season the team adopted a slight name change to the Southern Oregon A’s and played under this moniker through the 1995 season.
Bend, Oregon hosted a short-season Class A farm club of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1979 to 1986. In 1979 and 1980, Bend’s club was known as the Central Oregon Phillies. After Portland businessman Jack Cain purchased the club prior to the 1981 season, the team changed its name to the Bend Phillies. Top players to come out of Bend during the Phillies era included Julio Franco, Juan Samuel and Jason Grimsley.
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