Colorado Rockies and Boise Hawks sign PDC

Four-Year Agreement will keep National League club in Treasure Valley until 2018

BOISE, Idaho - The Colorado Rockies today agreed with the Boise Hawks on a new Player Development Contract to move the club's Northwest League affiliate to the Treasure Valley.

The new PDC is for four years and runs through the 2018 season.

"We couldn't be more excited to be partnering with the Colorado Rockies," said Hawks president/general manager Todd Rahr. "The intermountain regional tie with them is a natural. Since 1978, the Boise market has not been affiliated with a team as close to our area as we are now with the Rockies. We plan on helping the Rockies expand their regional footprint and build a true Colorado Rockies fan base right here in the Treasure Valley."

The Rockies have had a presence in the NWL since the franchise was founded in 1991, with the first game in franchise history played between the Bend Rockies and Boise Hawks on June 16, 1992.

After three seasons in Bend, the Rockies moved their affiliate to Portland, playing at Civic Stadium from 1995-2000, before spending the past 14 seasons as the parent club of the Tri-City Dust Devils.

Colorado currently has the tenth-best minor league farm system in baseball, according to Baseball Prospectus. Eight recent Tri-City players are with the parent club, including set-up man Rex Brothers and outfielder Charlie Blackmon.

The Boise Hawks are one of six minor league affiliates of the Rockies, joining the advanced rookie-level Grand Junction Rockies (Pioneer League), the Class-A Asheville Tourists (South Atlantic League), the Class-A (Advanced) Modesto Nuts (California League), the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats (Eastern League), and the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes (Pacific Coast League).

It marks the third different affiliation for the current Boise franchise, as the Hawks initially operated from 1987-89 as an independent team. From 1990-2000, the club was affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels, while serving as a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs for the last 14 seasons.

"For 14 years we were a part of the Cubs farm system and we cannot thank them enough for the excellent relationship we had with them," Rahr said. "There have been so many prospects and future Major Leaguers who have been through Boise with the Cubs, we couldn't have asked for more. Thank you to everyone from Tom Ricketts to Theo Epstein to Jason McCloud and the entire player development department, including all of the wonderful managers and coaches who have worn the Hawks logo across their chest."

The 76-game 2015 NWL schedule will be released in the coming days, including the first-ever All-Star Game pitting Northwest League All-Stars against Pioneer League All-Stars, set for Aug. 4, 2015 in Spokane.