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.
Northwest League (1972-1976) Born: 1972 Folded: 1976 First Game: June 20, 1972 (L 12-3 vs. Walla Walla Islanders) Last Game: September 1, 1976 (W 2-0 vs. Portland
The Salem Angels were an Oregon-based short-season Class A affiliate of the California Angels during the mid-1980’s. During Salem’s first season as an Angels’ affiliate in 1982, the club won the Northwest League championship. This despite finishing the regular season with a losing record of 34-36.
The Salem Senators were a ramshackle independent franchise (i.e. no Major League parent club) in the short-season Class A Northwest League from 1977 until 1981. The Senators were a brand revival of Salem’s earlier Senators team, which played in the city from 1940 until 1960. The team changed its name to the Salem Angels in 1982 after securing a Major League affiliation with the California Angels.
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