Eugene Emeralds
Founded in1955 Eugene, Oregon
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Class	High-A (2021–present)
Previous classes	Class A Short Season (1974–2019) Triple-A (1969–1973) Class A Short Season (1974–2019) Class A (1963–1965) Class B (1955–1962)
League	Northwest League (1974–present)
Previous leagues	Pacific Coast League (1969–1973) Northwest League (1955–1968)
Major league affiliations
Team	San Francisco Giants (2021–present)
Previous teams	Chicago Cubs (2015–2020) San Diego Padres (2001–2014) Chicago Cubs (1999–2000) Atlanta Braves (1995–1998) Kansas City Royals (1984–1994) Cincinnati Reds (1975–1983) Philadelphia Phillies (1967–1973) Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals (1966) Philadelphia Phillies (1964–1965) Chicago White Sox (1963) San Francisco Giants (1959–1962)
Minor league titles
League titles(8)	1955 1974 1975 1980 2016 2018 2021 2022
Division titles(16)	1955 1957 1964 1969 1974 1975 1978 1980 1985 1986 1996 2000 2011 2016 2017 2018
First-half titles(1)	2022
Second-half titles(1)	2025
Team data
Name	Eugene Emeralds (1955–present)
Colors	Sasquatch black, emerald green, neon green, white[1]
Mascot	Sluggo[2]
Ballpark	PK Park (2010–present)
Previous parks	Civic Stadium (1969–2009) Bethel Park (1955–1968)
Owner/ Operator	Elmore Sports Group
General manager	Allan Benavides
Manager	Jeremiah Knackstedt[3]
Website	milb.com/eugene

TheEugene Emeralds (nicknamed theEms) are aMinor League Baseball team in thenorthwestUnited States, based inEugene, Oregon and playing atPK Park. The Emeralds are members of theNorthwest League and theHigh-A affiliate of theSan Francisco Giants.

Founded 70 years ago in 1955 as a charter member of the Northwest League, the Emeralds were named in a contest won by 11-year-old Bowen Blair.^[4] They won the inaugural pennant as an independent,^[5][6][7] and remained in the NWL for 14 seasons through 1968. The Emeralds were the first minor-league team to play in Eugene since the disbanding of theEugene Larks, who played at Bethel Park for just two seasons, 1950 and 1951.^[8]

The Emeralds played in northwest Eugene in 4,000-seat Bethel Park, on the northwest corner of Roosevelt Boulevard and Maple Street (44°03′52″N123°08′43″W / 44.0644°N 123.1454°W /44.0644; -123.1454),^[9] later razed for the construction of a highway that was never built.^[7][10][11] In 1950 and 1951, Bethel Park was the home of the Eugene Larks of theClass DFar West League; its outfield is present-day Lark Park. The Larks' final game on August 29, 1968 drew 897 fans for a one-hitter and a 7-0 Emeralds win.^[12] The NWL changed to a short-season league in 1966. The second pick in the1966 MLB draft, futurehall of famerReggie Jackson, played his first professional games at Bethel Park, hitting a single and home run in his second game.^[13][14]

In the 1969 season, the Emeralds were promoted toAAA status in thePacific Coast League (PCL) as the primary affiliate of thePhiladelphia Phillies. The team returned to the Northwest League five years later when the PCL moved the AAA team toSacramento for the 1974 season,^[15] while the Phillies moved their AAA farm team to theToledo Mud Hens of theInternational League. Eugene was an independent co-op team shared by the Phillies andSan Francisco Giants in 1974^[16][17] and became an affiliate of theCincinnati Reds in 1975.^[18]

Entering Triple-A in 1969, the Emeralds moved from Bethel Park toCivic Stadium. The 6,800-seat facility was owned by theEugene School District and was built in 1938 as a venue for high-school football, which was played there until 1968. Civic Stadium also hosted semipro baseball teams, sponsored by local timber companies, until Bethel Park was built in 1950. Facing an outdated stadium and high maintenance costs,^[19] in 2010 the Emeralds moved toPK Park, the new baseball stadium across town that was built by theUniversity of Oregon. The park is adjacent to the university'sAutzen Stadium and near theWillamette River. The team shares the facility with theOregon Ducks' collegiate baseball team, whose regular season ends in May. Civic Stadium was destroyed by arson in 2015.^[20]

A new logo, based uponSasquatch, was adopted by the Emeralds in 2012.^[21] Following the 2014 season, the Emeralds switched their major-league affiliation from theSan Diego Padres to theChicago Cubs, with a two-year deal through 2016.^[22] The player-development contract was extended through the 2018 season on June 14, 2016.

In 2016, the Emeralds were awarded two "Golden Bobblehead" awards for their promotions withChildren's Miracle Network and their honorary player that year, Hayden Kumle.^[23]

The Emeralds won the NWL title in 2018 despite finishing in last place with a 31–45 record. The team, dubbed the "Bad News Ems", clinched a wild-card playoff spot with a 17-21 record in the second half, second behindHillsboro, who had finished first in both halves, and swept Hillsboro andSpokane in the postseason. The team's .408 regular-season winning percentage was the worst ever for a NWL champion.^[24] Following that season, the Emeralds were awarded the 53rd annual Larry MacPhail Award in recognition for their promotions.^[25] In 2019, the Emeralds unveiled their Monarcas de Eugene on-field identity as part of minor-league baseball's Copa de Diversion initiative.^[26]

After the 2020 season was canceled during theCOVID-19 pandemic, Eugene was invited to become theHigh-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.^[27] The Emeralds were assigned to theHigh-A West league with five other teams previously of the Northwest League.^[28] Eugene ended the 2021 season in first place with a 69–50 record.^[29] They then defeated theSpokane Indians, 3–1, to win the High-A West championship.^[30] In 2022, the High-A West was renamed as the Northwest League.^[31]

The Emeralds began to seek a new stadium following the promotion to the High-A level and its longer season. Team officials met with Lane County officials to discuss the feasibility of constructing a new stadium at the Lane Events Center.^[32] On March 13, 2024, the Eugene City Council voted to place a $15 million bond measure on the ballot for the May 21 primary election. This would partially fund the stadium project's expected cost of more than $104 million. However, Lane County administrators had advised a reset in planning before committing to this project. City councilors had previously required this commitment and financial reports of the stadium's operations.^[33][34] The Lane Events Center master plan did not include the Emeralds' stadium because it was too large, requiring removal of the multiuse indoor arena, and would detract from fairground operations by hindering profitable events, with an expected annual loss of $200,000.^[35]

• 1974: DefeatedBellingham 2–1 to win league championship.
• 1975: DefeatedPortland 2–0 to win league championship.
• 1979: Lost toGrays Harbor 1–0 in finals.
• 1980: Declared co-champion withBellingham.
• 1985: Lost toEverett 1–0 in finals.
• 1986: Lost toBellingham 1–0 in finals.
• 1996: Lost toYakima 2–0 in finals.
• 2000: Lost toYakima 3–2 in finals.
• 2011: Lost toVancouver 2–1 in semifinals.
• 2016: DefeatedHillsboro 2–1 in semifinals; defeatedEverett 2–1 to win league championship.
• 2017: DefeatedHillsboro 2–0 in semifinals; Lost toVancouver 3–1 in finals.
• 2018: DefeatedHillsboro 2–0 in semifinals; defeatedSpokane 3–0 to win league championship.
• 2021: DefeatedSpokane 3–1 to win league championship.
• 2022: DefeatedVancouver 3-0 to win league championship.

• Eugene Emeralds players (1955–present)
• Eugene Larks players (1950–1951)

• Official website
• Statistics fromBaseball-Reference
• 1955 newspaper sketch showing directions to Bethel Park

• Baseball teams established in 1955
• Defunct Pacific Coast League teams
• Sports in Eugene, Oregon
• San Francisco Giants minor league affiliates
• Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates
• San Diego Padres minor league affiliates
• Philadelphia Phillies minor league affiliates
• 1955 establishments in Oregon
• Northwest League teams
• Professional baseball teams in Oregon
• High-A West teams

• Use mdy dates from May 2025
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles with hCards
• Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia