October 4, 2024 – Northwest League (NWL)
Spokane Indians News Release
This year’s Spokane Indians team enjoyed a memorable season, clinching both the first and second half Northwest League titles before defeating Vancouver in four games for the franchise’s first championship since 2008. It was a banner year for former Indians player as well, with a total of 15 making their MLB debuts with eight different organizations throughout 2024-that’s more than the 2023 (8) and 2022 (6) seasons combined!
Winning big at the minor league level and producing major leaguers at a breakneck pace; it’s a great time to a be Spokane Indian. A full list in chronological order of debut can be found below:
Justin Slaten | March 30th | Boston Red Sox
A third-round pick out of the University of New Mexico in 2019, Slaten struggled with the Indians that summer in a starting role (6.46 ERA in 10 GS) before finding his niche in the bullpen. The right-hander was selected by Boston in the Rule 5 Draft and was a key member of the Red Sox relief corps in 2024, finishing the year with a 6-2 record, 2.93 ERA, and 1.01 WHIP in 44 appearances.
Davis Wendzel | April 9th | Texas Rangers
The Baylor Bear standout was selected in the first round of the 2019 draft and appeared in three games with Spokane at the end of that season. Wendzel made his big league debut with the defending champions in April and would go on to appear in 27 games with the Rangers.
Ricky Vanasco | April 15th | Los Angeles Dodgers
The hard-throwing right-hander was outstanding over nine starts with the Indians in 2019 (3-1, 1.85 ERA, 59 K in 39 IP) but injuries and COVID forced Vanasco to miss the next two seasons. He returned to action in 2022 and joined the Dodgers organization the following year-making his big league debut for Los Angeles with two scoreless innings against the Nationals on April 15th.
Jordan Beck | April 30th | Colorado Rockies
Mike Honcho mashed his way to Northwest League MVP with the Spokane Indians in 2023 (.292, 20 HR, 72 RBI, .944 OPS) and found himself in the big leagues less than a year later. Beck picked up his first MLB hit on his first swing in the majors and connected on his first big league homer two weeks later. The 23-year-old missed significant time with a fractured left hand but returned to close out the season in Colorado and looks like a key building block for the Rockies in 2025 and beyond.
Tyler Ferguson | May 7th | Oakland Athletics
A member of the 2016 Spokane Indians, Ferguson spent seven…
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