The Southern Oregon Timberjacks were a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

team in the

northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

United States, based in

Medford, Oregon Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census on April 1, 2020, the city had a total population of 85,824 and a metropolitan area population of 223,259, making the Me ...

. The team played in the

Class A-Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...

and were an affiliate of the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

for 21 seasons. They played their home games at Miles Field in south Medford.

Team history

The Timberjacks came to Medford to fill the void left by the departed

Medford Giants The Medford Giants were a minor league baseball team based in Medford, Oregon. The Giants were members of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League from 1967-1968 and were an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. History In early 1967 it was an ...

(1967–1968) and Rogue Valley/Medford Dodgers (1969–1971), both of the Northwest League. Originally known as the Bend Timber Hawks for a season in 1978, owner Doug Emmans relocated the team south and it became the Medford Athletics (or A's) in 1979. A name change to Southern Oregon Athletics (or A's) came in 1988, and then a new nickname of Timberjacks in 1996 for their last four seasons. They were six-time southern division champions (1981–1984, 1988–1989) and won the league championship twice (1981 and 1983). In 1982, Medford had the highest winning percentage of any team in professional baseball. In 1982, former minor league pitcher Fred Herrmann was named the team's general manager and then became the team's majority owner in 1985. As a minor league baseball franchise, the A's and Timberjacks had featured future major league players such as

Greg Cadaret Gregory James Cadaret (born February 27, 1962) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1987 to 1998 for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals ...

José Canseco José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oaklan ...

Rod Beck Rodney Roy Beck (August 3, 1968 – June 23, 2007), nicknamed "Shooter", was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants (–), Chicago Cubs (–), Boston Red Sox (1999–) and San Diego Padres (–). He batte ...

Scott Brosius Scott David Brosius (born August 15, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman for the Oakland Athletics (–) and the New York Yankees (–). Early life Brosius grew up in Milwaukie, Oregon, where he attended Rex Pu ...

Jason Giambi Jason Gilbert Giambi (; born January 8, 1971) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and designated hitter. In his Major League Baseball (MLB) career, which began in 1995, Giambi played for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yank ...

Tim Hudson Timothy Adam Hudson (born July 14, 1975), nicknamed "Huddy" is an American former professional baseball pitcher of Major League Baseball (MLB). After spending his college years at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Auburn University, Hud ...

Terry Steinbach Terry Lee Steinbach (born March 2, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher from 1986 to 1999, most notably as a member of the Oakland Athletics team that won three ...

Jason Windsor Jason David Windsor (born July 16, 1982, in San Bernardino, California) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. A right-hander, he appeared in four games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics in 2006. High scho ...

Miguel Tejada Miguel Odalis Tejada ( Tejeda; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before ...

, and

Eric Byrnes Eric James Byrnes (born February 16, 1976), is a baseball analyst and former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Se ...

Relocation controversy and stadium demise

In 1997 and 1998, Herrmann had announced that the team would relocate to

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

. However, the plans fell through on both occasions and the team remained in Medford. Finally on October 26, 1999, Herrmann announced that the franchise would relocate to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, and in 2000, they completed their move and were renamed the "new"

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bailey Stadium. ...

. The previous Canadians franchise was the Athletics' Class

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

affiliate, which was sold and moved to California and became the

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

. Both teams continued to be affiliated with the

Oakland A's The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

until 2011, when the Canadians became affiliated with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. The current Canadians do not show any history or records of the Timberjacks at their official website, though their relocation is mentioned one time on the media guide page. Herrmann did attempt to bring a

Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. Its member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002. The league was founde ...

team to Medford to replace the Timberjacks (Despite long standing rules that prohibited affiliated owners having a financial interest in independent baseball teams). However, those plans fell through when the potential owners, including Herrmann, failed to come up with the money necessary to establish a team.Medford Mail Tribune: Herrmann shut out on new team
(March 30, 2000) After four years without a professional team and despite efforts to rebuild and restore historic Miles Field, the city of Medford ordered the deteriorating stadium be torn down in 2004 to make way for a new

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

SuperCenter. In 2004, the city council of Medford orchestrated an agreement with the new

Harry & David Field Harry & David Field is a baseball park in the northwest United States, located in Medford, Oregon. Adjacent to U.S. Cellular Community Park (now known as Lithia & Driveway Fields), it hosts youth and high school baseball, primarily the Amer ...

that a professional team will ''not'' be allowed to play at the new ballpark which currently hosts the collegiate wood bat Medford Rogues, the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

baseball Medford Mustangs and youth baseball. Despite previous efforts to bring pro baseball back to Medford, the decision stands to this day. The agreement is a moot point as the Northwest League has stated that Medford is not a city that would be considered for expansion.

Season-by-season record

Notable alumni

(1986-1987) 3 x MLB All-Star *

Mike Bordick Michael Todd Bordick (born July 21, 1965) is an American retired professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball from 1990 to 2003 with four teams: the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays. ...

(1986) MLB All-Star *

(1987) MLB All-Star; 1998 World Series Most Valuable Player *

(1998) *

(1983) *

Jose Canseco José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oaklan ...

(1983) 6 x MLB All-Star; 1986 AL Rookie of the Year; 1988 AL Most Valuable Player *

Ron Coomer Ronald Bryan Coomer (born November 18, 1966), nicknamed "Coom Dawg", is a former first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball and the current color analyst and play-by-play broadcaster for the Chicago Cubs radio on WSCR 670 AM. Coomer ...

(1987) MLB All-Star *

(1992) 5 x MLB All-Star; 2000 AL Most Valuable Player *

Ben Grieve Ben Grieve (born May 4, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He batted left and threw right. In his nine-season career, he played with the Oakland Athletics (–), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (–), Milwaukee Brewers (), and Chic ...

(1994) MLB All-Star; 1998 AL Rookie of the Year *

(1997) 4 x MLB All-Star; 222 Wins *

Gerald Laird Gerald Lee Laird III (born November 13, 1979) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and Arizona Diamondbacks. Ca ...

(1999) *

Charlie O'Brien Charles Hugh O'Brien (born May 1, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Oakland Athletics (1985), Milwaukee Brewers (1987–90), New York Mets (1990–93), Atlanta Bra ...

(1982) * Steve Ontiveros (1982) MLB All-Star; 1994 AL ERA Title *

Craig Paquette Craig Harold Paquette (; born March 28, 1969) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers ...

(1989) *

Lenn Sakata Lenn Haruki Sakata (born June 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as a utility player from 1977 to 1987 and was a member of the Baltimore Orioles 1983 World Series Championship tea ...

(1988, MGR) *

Scott Spiezio Scott Edward Spiezio (; born September 21, 1972) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He is well-known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a three-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against ...

(1994) *

(1983) 3 x MLB All-Star *

Kevin Tapani Kevin Ray Tapani (born February 18, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs from 1989 to 2001. Early life Tapani was raised in E ...

(1986) *

(1995) 6 x MLB All-Star; 2002 AL Most Valuable Player *

Todd Van Poppel Todd Matthew Van Poppel (born December 9, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Oakland Athletics (, –), Detroit Tigers (1996), Texas Rangers (, –), Pittsburgh Pirates (1998), Chicago Cubs (–), and Cincinnati R ...

(1990) *

Dave Veres David Scott Veres (born October 19, 1966) is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball from 1994 to 2003. Career On January 4, 2007, Veres signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies. However, h ...

(1986) * Luis Vizcaino (1997) *

Curt Young Curtis Allen Young (born April 16, 1960) is a former professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach. He played all or parts of 11 seasons in Major League Baseball, and previously served as pitching coach for the Oakland Athletics and the San F ...

(1981)

Former players

Medford A's players __NOTOC__ Medford may refer to: *Medford (surname) Places Canada *Medford, Nova Scotia England *Medford Hall, Staffordshire United States *Medford, Indiana *Medford, Maine * Medford, Massachusetts *Medford, Minnesota *Medford, Missouri * ...

(1979–1987) *

Southern Oregon A's players Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

(1988–1995) * Southern Oregon Timberjacks players (1996–1999)

References

External links

Southern Oregon Timberjacks at Baseball-Reference

Southern Oregon Timberjacks
Minor League Geek
Southern Oregon Timberjacks' original website
(archive.org)
Southern Oregon Timberjacks' profile at Minor League baseball website (1998)
(archive.org)
Southern Oregon Timberjacks year-by-year records, statistics and rosters at The Baseball Cube

{{s-end Defunct Northwest League teams Sports in Medford, Oregon Defunct baseball teams in Oregon Oakland Athletics minor league affiliates Professional baseball teams in Oregon 1978 establishments in Oregon 1999 disestablishments in Oregon Baseball teams established in 1978 Baseball teams disestablished in 1999