Yakima Bears

MiLB infobox
name = Yakima Bears
founded = 1990
city = Yakima, Washington
misc =

uniform
class level = Single-A (1990-present)
past class level=
current league = Northwest League (1990-present)
conference =
division = Eastern Division
past league =
majorleague = Arizona Diamondbacks (2001-present)
pastmajorleague = Los Angeles Dodgers (1990-2000)
nickname = Yakima Bears (1990-present)
pastnames =
ballpark = Yakima County Stadium (1993-present)
pastparks = Parker Field (1990-1992)
leaguechamps = 1996, 2000
divisionchamps = 1991, 1994, 1996, 2000
misc6 =
owner = Short Season, LLC
manager = Mike Bell
gm = K.L. WombacherThe Yakima Bears are a minor league baseball team in Yakima, Washington. They are a Class A 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.

Notable ex-Bears

* Todd Hollandsworth- Rookie of the Year for Los Angeles Dodgers
* Conor Jackson- Arizona Diamondbacks 1st baseman
* Ted Lilly- Chicago Cubs Starting Pitcher
* Damian Rolls- MLB 3rd baseman drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers
* Scott Proctor- Los Angeles Dodgers reliever
* Dan Uggla Second Baseman for the Florida Marlins
* Paul Konerko- Chicago White Sox 1st baseman, MVP
* Pedro Astacio- 14 Year MLB Veteran
* Peter Bergeron- Fourth Round Draft Pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2004 MLB Draft

External links

* [http://www.yakimabears.com/ Yakima Bears official site]
* [http://www.diamondbacks.scout.com/ FutureBacks.com: In-Depth coverage of the Yakima Bears]