Portland Beavers

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Portland Beavers

League Pacific Coast League
Division Pacific Conference, Northern Division
Year founded 2001
Major League affiliation San Diego Padres
Home ballpark PGE Park
Previous home ballparks
City Portland, Oregon
Current uniform colors White, red, black
Previous uniform colors
Logo design Script "P" on cap; winking beaver wearing Portland cap, alternate
Division titles 1 (2004, Northern Division title)
League titles
Manager Craig Colbert
Owner Art Savage

The Portland Beavers are a minor league baseball team which, along with the Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Oaks, Sacramento Solons, San Francisco Seals, and Seattle Indians, was a charter member of the Pacific Coast League which was founded in 1903. Other than Sacramento, Portland is the only city among the original franchises that still has a team in the PCL. Portland is also the largest metropolitan area not to have a Major League team.

The original Portland Beavers began play in the PCL in 1903, being known variously as the Browns, Giants, Ducks, and Webfooters before deciding on the name “Beavers” in 1906. In the 1940s and 1950s, they were occasionally known as the "Lucky Beavers." The Beavers played at 12,000-seat Vaughn Street Park at Vaughn Street and NW 24th Avenue. They won their first PCL pennant in 1906, finishing 19½ games over runnerup Seattle. The team also won pennants in 1910, 1911, 1913, and 1914.

After the 1914 season, the team went into a tailspin that lasted over a decade. With America’s entry into World War I, restrictions were placed on travel, such that the Beavers even withdrew from the PCL for the 1918 season, playing instead in the Class B Pacific Coast International League, but re-entered the PCL a year later. It wasn’t until 1932, however, that the team won its next PCL flag, with an offense that led the league in hitting. The team won the pennant again in 1936, finishing but 1½ games over runner-up Oakland, then winning the postseason series to capture the crown.

"Boomer," mascot of the Portland Beavers

The 1936 title would be the last for the first incarnation of the Beavers. For the remaining 36 seasons, the Beavers finished high enough to make the playoffs but six times. The team finished second once (1944) and third four times (1947, 1956, 1964, and 1967 ). Usually the team finished well into the second division.

In 1956, the Beavers left the now-demolished Vaughn Street Park to move into 25,000-seat Multnomah Stadium, eventually renamed Civic Stadium. Throughout most of the 1960s, the Beavers were the AAA affiliate of the American League Cleveland Indians, nurturing such future stars as "Sudden" Sam McDowell, Lou "Mad Dog" Piniella and Luis "El Gigante" Tiant. Later major leauge affiliations included Minnesota and Philadelphia. After 1972, in which the Beavers drew less than 92,000 fans for the entire season, the team left Portland for Spokane. The Class A Portland Mavericks of the Northwest League filled the void left by the departure of the Beavers.

A second version of the Beavers rejoined the PCL in 1978 and played there in Civic Stadium through 1992. In 1983, the new Beavers won the PCL pennant, the first for Portland in 47 years. Though finishing fourth overall that year, the Beavers defeated the Edmonton Trappers to win the Northern Division title, then bested the Albuquerque Dukes in the finals to capture the flag.

In 1994, Beavers owner Joe Buzas moved the team to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they became the Salt Lake Buzz, later the Stingers and now the Bees.

The Portland Rockies were the premier baseball experience in the Rose City from 1994 to 2000. They were a single-A short season team whose season lasted from June 21 to Sept 1. They served an important role for the ever-blossoming city, whose demand for a major league team was growing. The interest in the Rockies paved the way for the return of the Portland Beavers.

In 2000, the former Albuquerque Dukes left New Mexico and relocated to Portland, taking the Beavers name. As part of the relocation agreement, Civic Stadium was renovated in 2000 and renamed PGE Park. The current Beavers are the AAA affiliates of the San Diego Padres.

Contents

1 Current AAA Roster

1.1 Pitchers
1.2 Catchers
1.3 Infielders
1.4 Outfielders
1.5 Rehab Assignment

2 References
3 External links

Current AAA Roster

As of July 4, 2006

Pitchers

Catchers

Luke Carlin
Jason Hill

Infielders

Manny Alexander
Brett Dowdy
Bobby Hill
Justin Leone
David Matranga

Outfielders

Rehab Assignment

References

O'Neal, Bill. The Pacific Coast League 1903-1988. Eakin Press, Austin TX, 1990. ISBN 0-89015-776-6.
Snelling, Dennis. The Pacific Coast League: A Statistical History, 1903-1957 McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 1995. ISBN 0-7864-0045-5.

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Pacific Coast League
American Conference North		Pacific Conference North
Iowa Cubs \| Memphis Redbirds \| Nashville Sounds \| Omaha Royals		Colorado Springs Sky Sox \| Portland Beavers \| Salt Lake Bees \| Tacoma Rainiers
American Conference South		Pacific Conference South
Albuquerque Isotopes \| New Orleans Zephyrs \| Oklahoma RedHawks \| Round Rock Express		Fresno Grizzlies \| Las Vegas 51s \| Sacramento River Cats \| Tucson Sidewinders