Tri-City Dust Devils

Last updated
Tri-City Dust Devils
Tri-City Dust Devils logo.svg Tri-CityDustDevilsCapLogo.PNG
Team logoCap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Class High-A (2021–present)
Previous classes Class A Short Season (2001–2020)
League Northwest League (2022–present)
Previous leagues
Major league affiliations
Team Los Angeles Angels (2021–present)
Previous teams
Minor league titles
Division titles (5)
  • 2007
  • 2009
  • 2011
  • 2015
  • 2019
Team data
ColorsNavy blue, gold, white
   
MascotDusty [1]
Ballpark Gesa Stadium
Owner(s)/
Operator(s)
 George Brett / Northwest Baseball Ventures
General managerDerrel Ebert
Manager Jack Howell

The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home games at Gesa Stadium, which opened in 1995 and has a seating capacity of 3,654.

Contents

History

In 1999 a group called Portland Family Entertainment claimed the Portland territory for AAA franchise. The Portland Rockies had been playing in the Rose City since 1995. Portland Family Entertainment, who had purchased the Albuquerque Dukes franchise would be relocating to Portland for the 2000 season. On July 10 long time owner Jack Cain, who had owned the Rockies franchise dating back to the Bend Phillies, sold the franchise to Portland Family Entertainment. Forced to vacate Portland with arrival of the AAA club, the franchise moved up the Columbia River to the Tri-Cities area. [2]

Upon relocating to the Tri-Cities the team adopted a new unique nickname, Dust Devils. Vice President and general manager Derrel Ebert “We’re pretty big in the agricultural industries around here. With all the farms and all the dirt, we also have a high amount of wind that comes through. We literally get dirt devils, dust devils, those types of mini-tornado type things that come barreling through here at times.” [3]

In their inaugural season the Dust Devils compiled a record of 39-36 to finish second in the north division standings. Despite a losing record, Tri-City won their first division title in 2007. The Dust Devils faced Salem-Keizer in the championship series, but fell to the Volcanoes in four games.

In 2015 the Dust Devils ended their long standing affiliation with the Colorado Rockies. Tri-City signed a player development contract with the San Diego Padres. [4]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minor League Baseball season was cancelled. In the winter of 2020 as part the reorganization of minor league baseball, Tri-City received an invitation to play as High-A affiliate of Los Angeles Angels. [5] In a further change, they were organized into the High-A West along with five other teams previously of the Northwest League. [6] In 2022, the High-A West became known as the Northwest League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization. [7]

The Dust Devils' front office is headed up by president Brent Miles and vice president / general manager Derrel Ebert. Prior to Ebert taking over as VP/GM in September 2009, Monica Ortega held the position from 2008 to 2009 as the only female general manager in the Northwest League. The principal owner of the team is hall of famer George Brett, with Miles as a minority owner. [8]

Before the Dust Devils

The Tri-Cities in southeastern Washington, which include Kennewick and Richland along with Pasco, have fielded a number of teams in the Northwest League and its predecessor, the Western International League. The Tri-City Braves were a member of the WIL from 1950 to 1955, when the team became a charter member of the new Northwest League. The Tri-Cities were continually represented through 1974 under various names (Braves 1955–60, 1962; Angels 1961, 1963–64; Atoms 1965–68; A's 1969; Padres 1970–72; Triplets 1973; Ports 1974).

In 1974, the Ports were an independent team and went 27–57 (.321) and drew just 21,611 in home attendance for the season. The team was managed by owner Carl W. Thompson, Sr. before folding.

From 1950 through 1974, home games were held at Sanders-Jacobs Field in Kennewick, [9] [10] located at the northeast corner of Clearwater Avenue and Neel Street ( 46°12′47″N119°10′08″W / 46.213°N 119.169°W / 46.213; -119.169 ). [11] The field was aligned to the northeast and named for Harry Sanders, a Connell farmer, and Tom Jacobs, a former manager and the general manager of the Atoms at the time of his death at age 64 in 1968. [10] [11] The ballpark was demolished in the mid-1970s, shortly after the Ports folded.

The Tri-Cities were without baseball until 1983 when the Tri-Cities Triplets (an homage to the 1973 name) formed, though they only lasted until 1986. The Triplets had relocated from Walla Walla and were an affiliate of the Texas Rangers for the first two years, independent for the final two. They played their home games at Richland High School baseball field, adjacent to the Bomber Bowl football stadium. [12] The team was bought by the Brett brothers in February 1986, [13] then sold that autumn to Diamond Sports, a group headed by the general manager, Mal Fichman. The Triplets relocated to Southwestern Idaho for the 1987 season and became the Boise Hawks.

The Tri-Cities was also home to the Tri-City Posse of the independent Western Baseball League from 1995 to 2000. The Posse were founded in the WBL's first year in 1995, [14] won the league title in 1999, but folded after the 2000 season. [15]

Identity

The Dust Devils, who had continued their relationship with the Colorado Rockies, originally intended to keep purple as their team color. However, when the Dust Devils took the field they donned navy and khaki. The colors were derived from the local topography. "If you drive through the Tri-Cities there three main things you’ll notice, it’s in the desert, so the sky is huge, it’s big sky country, and that’s obviously blue; the Columbia River is the main geographic feature, and that’s a deep, dark blue; and the hills are kind of a brown, khaki color." [3]

Ballpark

The Dust Devils play their home games at Gesa Stadium, which opened in 1995 as Tri-City Stadium. Upon the arrival of the Dust Devils in 2001 the stadium was changed from its original name to Dust Devil Stadium. The stadium has a seating capacity of 3,654.

Season-by-season record

SeasonPDC Division Finish Wins Losses Win% Post-seasonManagerAttendance
Tri-City Dust Devils
2001 COL North2nd3936.520Stu Cole55,613
2002 COL East2nd4036.526Ron Gideon69,824
2003 COL East3rd3343.434Ron Gideon58,976
2004 COL East3rd5036.526Ron Gideon54,087
2005 COL East2nd3640.474Ron Gideon63,173
2006 COL East2nd3838.500Danny Cox67,545
2007 COL East1st3739.487Lost to Salem-Keizer in championship series 3-1Fred Ocasio75,308
2008 COL East3rd3640.474Fred Ocasio82,021
2009 COL East1st4729.618Lost to Salem-Keizer in championship series 3-1Fred Ocasio84,198
2010 COL East4th3046.395Fred Ocasio84,921
2011 COL East1st4432.579Defeated Boise in division finals 2-0
Lost to Vancouver in championship series 2-1		Fred Ocasio85,953
2012 COL East3rd3244.421Fred Ocasio86,095
2013 COL North4th3442.447Fred Ocasio83,987
2014 COL North3rd3343.434Drew Saylor85,679
2015 SDP North2nd4234.553Defeated Everett in division finals 2-1
Lost to Hillsboro in championship series 2-1		 Robbie Wine 100,613
2016 SDP North2nd3442.447 Ben Fritz 86,886
2017 SDP North2nd4036.526Ben Fritz86,461
2018 SDP North4th3541.461 Mike McCoy 86,283
2019 SDP North2nd3838.500Defeated Spokane in division finals 2-1
Lost to Hillsboro in championship series 3-2		Mike McCoy87,021
Division winnerLeague champions

Roster

Tri-City Dust Devils roster
PlayersCoaches/Other

Pitchers

  • -- Glenn Albanese Jr.
  •  6 Nathan Burns
  • 22 Chase Chaney
  • 40 Caden Dana
  •  3 Emilker Guzman
  • 32 Houston Harding
  • 30 Nick Jones
  • 28 Erik Martinez
  • 17 Nick Mondak
  • 26 Sammy Natera Jr.
  • 55 Bryce Osmond
  • 49 Cole Percival
  • 46 Roman Phansalkar
  • 15 Jose Salvador
  • 27 Hayden Seig
  • 12 Jake Smith
  • 29 Willian Suarez
  • 33 Connor Van Scoyoc

Catchers

  • 14 Gustavo Campero
  •  9 Myles Emmerson
  • 25 Gabriel Rodriguez

Infielders

  • 13 Werner Blakely
  • 24 Osmy Gregorio
  • 51 Ryan Hernandez
  • 23 Gabe Matthews
  •  4 Adrian Placencia
  •  2 Arol Vera

Outfielders

  • 21 Casey Dana
  •  8 D'Shawn Knowles
  •  7 Alexander Ramirez
  • 31 Steven Rivas
  •  1 Joe Stewart


Manager

Coaches

  • 19 Doug Henry (pitching)
  •  5 Trevor Nyp (coach)
  • 11 Ryan Sebra (hitting)

60-day injured list

  • -- Ryan Costeiu
  • -- Braden Olthoff

Injury icon 2.svg 7-day injured list
* On Los Angeles Angels 40-man roster
~ Development list
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporarily inactive list
Roster updated June 16, 2023
 Transactions
→ More rosters: MiLB  •  Northwest League
→ Los Angeles Angels minor league players

Notable alumni

Former players

Tri-City Dust Devils players   (2001–present)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tri-Cities, Washington</span> Place in Washington

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gesa Stadium</span> Baseball stadium in Pasco, Washington

Gesa Stadium is a Minor League Baseball park in the northwest United States, located in Pasco, Washington. Opened in 1995, it is the home field of the Tri-City Dust Devils of the Northwest League.

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The Tri-City Atoms were a minor league baseball team located in Kennewick, Washington. The Tri-Cities in southeastern Washington, which include Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, fielded a number of minor league teams in the Northwest League and its predecessor, the Western International League, from 1955 to 1974.

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The following is a timeline of the history of the Tri-Cities, an area of the U.S. state of Washington encompassing the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland.

References

  1. ↑ "Tri-City Dust Devils Mascot Appearance Request Form". Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
  2. ↑ "Colorado Rockies Baseball News: The Denver Post Online". extras.denverpost.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  3. 1 2 Caputo, Paul. "Blown Away: The Story Behind the Tri-City Dust Devils". SportsLogos.Net News. Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  4. ↑ "Tri-City Dust Devils to Become Padres Affiliate in 2015". NBC Right Now. Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  5. ↑ Bollinger, Rhett (2020-12-09). "Angels extend affiliation invites for 2021". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  6. ↑ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  8. ↑ Millikin, Jack (April 19, 2007). "Miles acquires ownership". Tr-City Herald. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
  9. ↑ "Tri-City stadium for sale". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. October 18, 1968. p. 24. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Tri-City's leader taken by death". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 27, 1968. p. 8. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  11. 1 2 Morrow, Jeff (March 22, 2013). "Charlie Petersen, Tri-Cities' first professional baseball manager, still kicking at 100". Tri-City Herald. Pasco, Washington. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Bomber Bowl – Richland, Washington". ballparkreviews.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
  13. ↑ "Bretts purchase Tri-Cities team". Spokane Chronicle. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. February 19, 1986. p. C2. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Trebelhorn to manage Tri-Cities team". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Moscow, Idaho. November 24, 1994. p. 2D. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  15. ↑ Caputo, Paul. "Blown Away: The Story Behind the Tri-City Dust Devils". Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
Preceded by Northwest League franchise
2001–present		Succeeded by
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