Yakima Bears

Yakima Bears Founded in 1990 Yakima, Washington
Team Logo Cap Insignia
Class-level
Short-Season A (1990-present)
Minor league affiliations
Northwest League (1990-present) Eastern Division
Major league affiliations
Arizona Diamondbacks (2001-present) Los Angeles Dodgers (1990-2000)
Name
Yakima Bears (1990-present)
Ballpark
Yakima County Stadium (1993-present) Parker Field (1990-1992)
Minor league titles
League titles	1996, 2000
Division titles	1991, 1994, 1996, 2000
Owner(s)/Operated by: Short Season, LLC
Manager: Bob Didier
General Manager: K.L. Wombacher

The Yakima Bears are a minor league baseball team in Yakima, Washington. They are a Short-Season A classification team in the Northwest League and have been a farm team of the Arizona Diamondbacks since 2001, formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers from the team's creation in 1990 when the Salem Dodgers were moved to Yakima. The Bears play home games at Yakima County Stadium.

The history of baseball in Yakima stretches back to 1920 with the short-lived Yakima Indians in the Northwest League's original form as the Northwest International League. The Indians lasted only two seasons, closing in 1921 as the NIL became the Western International League.

Yakima re-entered the WIL in 1937 as the Yakima Pippins, reflecting Washington's apple-growing heritage, lasting until the 1941 season due to World War II. In 1946, as the WIL resumed play, Yakima again fielded a team, this time named the Stars. Renaming themselves the Packers for the 1948 season, the team finally settled on the Bears in 1949, lasting through the reformation of the WIL into the Northwest League, as the Bears became a charter member of the NWL in the 1955 season.

The Bears' time in the early years of the NWL were fruitful, as they won six NWL titles in nine years (1956, 1958-'60, 1963, and 1964). In 1966, when the league converted to short-season, the team renamed itself for the last time as the Yakima Braves due to an agreement with the Atlanta Braves, which they were affiliated with at the time, but the team was no longer in Yakima at the end of the 1966 season.

In 1990, Yakima again fielded a team in the Northwest League when the Dodgers moved from Salem after the 1989 season, bringing with them their affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2001, the Bears changed their affiliation to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Proposed Relocation

Recently the franchise has been frustrated by the lack of progress on a new stadium that would meet minor league standards, and a declining local economy. On May 13, 2011, the city of Vancouver, Washington presented a proposal for a new ballpark to be built on the Clark College campus, ready to host the Yakima Bears franchise for the 2012 season.

Roster

Yakima Bears roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 35 Victor Acosta 27 Justin Albert 31 Michael Blake 15 Alex Capaul 20 Yiomar Camacho 23 Sammy De Los Santos 34 Teo Gutierrez 32 Adam Kudryk 28 John Pedrotty -- Miguel Pena 21 Miles Reagan 38 Greg Robinson -- Cody Wheeler  6 Brad Wilson 16 Drew Zizinia		Catchers 14 Zachary Jones 24 Jae Yun Kim  3 Steven Rodriguez 36 Tyson Van Winkle Infielders 19 Carter Bell 10 Tyler Bream 11 Jimmy Comerota 30 Matthew Jensen 18 Raul Navarro  7 Daniel Pulfer  5 Garrett Weber -- Michael Weber Outfielders  8 Justin Hilt 22 Kerry Jenkins 17 Westley Moss 25 Henry Zabala		Manager 43 Audo Vicente Coaches 40 Doug Bochtler (pitching) -- Jason Camilli (hitting) 7-day disabled list * On Arizona Diamondbacks 40-man roster ∞ Reserve list § Suspended list ‡ Restricted list # Rehab assignment Roster updated November 27, 2011 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → Arizona Diamondbacks minor league players

Notable ex-Bears

• Todd Hollandsworth - Rookie of the Year for Los Angeles Dodgers
• Conor Jackson - Oakland Athletics 1st baseman
• Ted Lilly - Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
• Damian Rolls - MLB 3rd baseman drafted by Los Angeles Dodgers
• Scott Proctor - Atlanta Braves reliever
• Dan Uggla - Second baseman for Atlanta Braves
• Paul Konerko - Chicago White Sox 1st baseman, 4-time All-Star
• Pedro Astacio - 14-year MLB pitcher
• Peter Bergeron - Fourth-round draft pick by Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004
• Joe Thurston - Journeyman MLB infielder
• Shane Victorino - Philadelphia Phillies center fielder, 2-time Gold Glove winner
• Mark Reynolds - Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles 3rd baseman
• Chris Carter - New York Mets 1st baseman
• Koyie Hill - Chicago Cubs catcher
• Chad Tracy -- Infielder for Diamondbacks, Cubs
• Carlos Gonzalez - Colorado Rockies outfielder

External links

• Yakima Bears official site
• FutureBacks.com: In-Depth coverage of the Yakima Bears