Team logo Cap insignia Manager Jesús Feliciano Ballpark PK Park (2010–) | Division South Division League Northwest League | |
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Current Class A-Short Season
(1974–present) Previous AAA (1969–1973)
Short-season A (1966–1968)
A (1963–1965)
B (1955–1962) Previous leagues Pacific Coast League (PCL)
(1969–1973) Current Chicago Cubs (2015–present) | ||
Eugene emeralds minor league baseball team s new mascot
The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. Members of the Northwest League, they are currently the Class A short-season affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. From 2001 through 2014, the team was affiliated with the San Diego Padres.
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9 13 eugene emeralds vs everett aquasox nwlcs
History
Created 62 years ago in 1955 as a charter member of the Northwest League, the Emeralds were named in a contest, won in January by eleven-year-old Blair Bowen. They won the inaugural pennant as an independent, and remained in the NWL for 14 seasons, through 1968.
The Emeralds played in northwest Eugene in 4,000-seat Bethel Park, at Roosevelt Boulevard and Maple Street (44.0644°N 123.1454°W / 44.0644; -123.1454), later torn down for the construction of a highway that wasn't built. In 1950 and 1951, Bethel Park was the home of the Eugene Larks of the Class D Far West League; its outfield is present-day Lark Park. Its final game in 1968 on August 29 drew 897 fans for a one-hitter and a 7-0 Emeralds win. The NWL changed to a short season league in 1966, and that season opened in Eugene against the Lewiston Broncs. The second pick in the 1966 MLB draft, future hall of famer Reggie Jackson played his first professional games at Bethel Park, as a 20-year-old center fielder, following his sophomore season at Arizona State. Hitless in the opener, the next game he got his first pro hit, a single in the first, and later a home run to right field in the ninth.
In the 1969 season, the Emeralds were promoted to AAA status in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) as the primary affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Ems returned to the Northwest League five years later, when the Phillies moved their AAA farm team to the Toledo Mud Hens of the International League for the 1974 season. Eugene was independent that season, then became an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds in 1975.
As a Triple A team in 1969, the Emeralds moved from Bethel Park to Civic Stadium. The 6,800-seat facility was owned by the Eugene School District and was built in 1938 as a venue for high school football, which was played there until 1968. Civic Stadium also hosted semi-pro baseball teams, sponsored by local timber companies, until Bethel Park was built in 1950. Facing an outdated stadium and high-maintenance costs, the Eugene Emeralds moved into the new baseball stadium across town that was built by the University of Oregon, PK Park. A vacant Civic Stadium was destroyed by fire in 2015, several years after the Emeralds had been playing at PK Park. The Emeralds new home, PK Park, is adjacent to Autzen Stadium and near the Willamette River. They share the new facility with the Oregon Ducks, whose regular season ends in May.
A new logo, based upon Sasquatch, was adopted by the Emeralds in 2012. In 2013, the Emeralds partnered with Voodoo Doughnut to offer a bacon maple bratwurst as a specialty food item. Following the 2014 season, the Emeralds switched from being an affiliate of the San Diego Padres to the Chicago Cubs, who signed Eugene to a two-year deal through 2016. The player development contract was extended through the 2018 season on June 14, 2016.
Playoffs
Notable former Emeralds
With year player was an Emerald