YAKIMA, Wash. — Aaron Arndt, assistant general manager for the Bears, has been named Outstanding Mentor to Youth by the YMCA’s board of directors.

The award is given annually to a community member who “goes above and beyond” in commitment to youth.

A Selah native, Arndt is a six-year veteran of the Bears’ staff after earning a sports management degree from Washington State.

He has participated in several endeavors to help area youth, including coaching youth baseball and helping children with incarcerated parents.

1990 NL Cy Young Award winner joins Didier, Abad on coaching staff ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Last season the Yakima Bears posted the highest earned-run average in the Northwest League, a major factor in their 28-48 record.

But help is on the way.

The Bears and their parent club, the Arizona Diamondbacks, announced Wednesday that 1990 National League Cy Young award winner Doug Drabek will be the pitching coach for Yakima’s 2010 team.

Drabek

Drabek will replace 2009 pitching coach Gil Heredia, who took a coaching position with the Missoula Osprey, another Arizona affiliate.

“I cannot express how excited we are to have a pitching coach with the stature of Doug Drabek,” said Yakima General Manager K.L. Wombacher in a release. “It is not often that a Cy Young winner comes to Washington, let alone Yakima.”

The Bears previously announced that manager Bob Didier and hitting coach Andy Abad will return for the 2010 season.

While pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1990, Drabek was 22-6 with a 2.76 ERA, 131 strikeouts and nine complete games. Four years later while with the Houston Astros, Drabek was named to the 1994 National League All-Star team.

In 13 seasons spanning 1986 to 1998, Drabek amassed a 155-134 career record with a 3.73 ERA. He spent the bulk of that time with Pittsburgh and Houston, but he also pitched one season each with Baltimore, the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees.

Yakima will open its 2010 season at Yakima County Stadium on June 18 against the Boise Hawks.

NWL season will be split into halves in 2010 ||

YAKIMA, Wash. — Given the Bears’ recent on-field tribulations, lowlighted by six consecutive losing seasons, talk within the franchise of first place would seem entirely out of place.

Yet recent Northwest League developments have emboldened team president Mike McMurray.

“There will be one day in the middle of next season,” he said, “when no matter what happens within our division or the rest of the league, we’ll still be in first place.”

As for the playoffs, of which Yakima has not been a participant since 2000, chances are twice as good as they had previously been due to the league’s new format.

Starting next year the 76-game season will be divided into halves, with the winners in each division comprising a four-team postseason structure. The winners in the East and West divisions will meet in a best-of-three series, after which the division champions will engage in another best-of-three set to determine the league titlist.

Should the same team win both halves, the second-half runner-up will qualify.

The format, already used by many minor leagues and a staple during the NWL’s early years, was agreed to in a meeting of league executives last month and formally announced by the Bears in a Wednesday press release.

“Seriously,” McMurray said in a telephone interview, “it’s a tough deal for players once they get down on themselves, particularly the younger ones.

“The beauty of this situation is, now they get a mulligan. And not only do they get a mulligan, all of us who watch them get a mulligan, too.”

Meaning that after Yakima’s home game with Boise on July 26, the Bears will have an off day to contemplate what amounts to a new 38-game season beginning on July 28.

“It’s funny how baseball works,” said general manager K.L. Wombacher. “You can win three or four in a row and get a little momentum going, but if you look at the standings and see that you’re still 10 or 12 games back, it’s hard to keep that momentum.”

The original Northwest League, a seven-team, one-division circuit that began play in 1955, divided its season in halves. It continued the format until after Yakima’s exit following the 1966 season and the advent of divisional play in 1970.

In 1964, a Yakima team managed by the late Hub Kittle finished last in the first half but won the second, and then swept Eugene 3-0 for the championship.

Wednesday, the Bears also announced their 2010 schedule, which begins with a June 18 home game against Boise and will include a home game on July 4.

The team also disclosed that ticket prices will not be increased, with single-game admission ranging from $5.50 to $9.50.

Wombacher also said that the results of a feasibility study on whether to renovate or replace Yakima County Stadium will probably not be complete until next month.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Yakima Bears first baseman Ryan Wheeler was named the top minor-league position player in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization when the team announced its season awards on Monday.

Ryan Wheeler, Yakima Bears first baseman

Wheeler led the Bears with a .363 batting average after being taken in the fifth round of the amateur draft out of Loyola Marymount University. His 28 extra base hits resulted in a .538 slugging percentage, and he tied the Bears franchise record for on-base percentage with a .461 mark.

With only five errors in  64 games, Wheeler also showed his value on defense.

Wheeler led more than 200 players in the Diamondbacks farm system in average and on-base percentage. This is the first time since 1997 that a short-season player has been named minor league player of the year for Arizona.

Billy Buckner from the AAA Reno Aces was named pitcher of the year.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Yakima County has commissioned a study to determine whether Yakima County Stadium should be renovated or replaced to ensure the Bears’ long-term future in Yakima.

The county would like public input on topics such as attendance, satisfaction or lack thereof with the stadium as it presently exists, preference for renovation versus a new facility, support for potential funding sources and related items.

Those who wish to participate can do so by finding the Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce Web site (www.yakima.org) and clicking on the Yakima Bears logo.

Bears lose, Spokane’s Ogata passes Wheeler for batting title ||

SPOKANE —  As was the case for most of the season, things did not go the Yakima Bears’ way during Sunday’s season finale at Avista Stadium.

The Bears fell 11-2 to the Spokane Indians, doomed largely by a seven-run fourth inning and a three-run eighth.

Even a possible bright spot for Yakima was snuffed out by Spokane’s Jason Ogata.

Ogata entered the game one point behind former Bear Ryan Wheeler in the league batting average race.

Ogata went 2-for-3 to raise his average to .366, three points ahead of Wheeler, who was promoted to South Bend on Aug. 29.

Wheeler’s .363 average is the second-highest in modern Bears history, which dates to 1990. Yakima’s Cyle Hankerd hit .384 in 2006.

With the score 1-1, Ogata started the Indians’ big fourth inning with a single.

Six more singles, a triple, a hit batter and a wild pitch later, Spokane led 8-1.

Yakima would add another run in the sixth inning when Adonys Canelo tripled home Dan Kaczrowski.

In the eighth, Spokane used a single, triple, wild pitch, passed ball, hit batter and two errors to score three more times for the final margin.

Yakima’s other run came on a Matt Helm homer in the second inning.

Randy Hamrick (2-4) took the loss for Yakima, while Trevor Hurley (7-2) earned the victory for Spokane.

The Bears finished the season with a 28-48 record, the same as last season.

It is the team’s sixth consecutive losing season and the fourth time in five seasons with fewer than 30 victories.

Box score

Northwest League Standings

SPOKANE, Wash. — If the Bears aren’t going to win a championship this season, and it’s been apparent for some time that they won’t, at least one of their former players might.

While Yakima beat Spokane 5-2 Saturday night at Avista Stadium, ex-Bear Ryan Wheeler took over the Northwest League batting lead — by one point over the Indians’ Jason Ogata with one game to play.

Though Wheeler was promoted to South Bend on Aug. 29, he still has plenty of plate appearances to qualify for the title.

And as of today the first baseman has a .363 to .362 edge over Ogata, the former Oregon State standout. Ogata was 1-for-4 Saturday.

The Bears, meanwhile, equaled last year’s win total of 28 as Matt Helm and Gerson Montilla had two hits each — Helm’s raising the 19-year-old’s average to .288 — to back the pitching of Dan Taylor, Brad Gemberling and Brian Budrow.

Taylor went the first five innings for his team-best fifth win, while Gemberling and Budrow worked two scoreless frames apiece.

Yakima also stole five bases in as many tries and got three unearned runs.

Next game

Opponent: Spokane Indians.

When, where: 6:30 p.m., today, Avista Stadium, Spokane.

Radio: KUTI (1460).

Probable pitchers: TBA.

Box score

Northwest League Standings

SPOKANE, Wash. — Adonys Canelo got his first hit as a Bear, and added two more in fact, and Matt Helm was 2 for 3.

But that didn’t prevent Yakima from being shut out for the ninth time this season, 3-0 to Spokane before 4,919 Friday night at Avista Stadium.

Aside from Canelo’s three safeties and Helm’s two, the Bears managed only two other hits while dropping to 27-47 with two games left in the Northwest League season.

Canelo entered the game 0-for-12. Helm, who turned 19 on Tuesday, boosted his batting average to .277.

Tomas Telis homered for the Indians (36-38) and Daniel Lima had an RBI single. Spokane’s other run scored on a double play.

Chris Odegaard had a second successive standout start for Yakima, scattering six hits and allowing two runs over six innings, but nonetheless fell to 2-8.

Brandon Tullis, a right-hander from Skagit Valley College, went the first five innings for Spokane and improved to 4-3 while lowering his ERA to 3.04.

The Bears and Indians complete their seasons with games today and Sunday.

Next game

Opponent: Spokane Indians.

When, where: 6:30 p.m., today, Avista Stadium, Spokane.

Radio: KUTI (1460).

Probable pitchers: TBA.

Box score

Northwest League Standings

PASCO, Wash. — A great start and an even better finish — the Yakima Bears finally put it all together in their last chance for some payback on Thursday.

Ending a nine-game losing streak to Tri-City, the Bears shot ahead with five runs in the first inning, lost the lead and then reeled off four unanswered runs for a 9-6 victory over the Dust Devils at Gesa Stadium.

Tim Sherlock’s two-run home run in the sixth inning was the crucial blow for Yakima, a two-out shot that stopped Tri-City’s comeback and put the Bears back ahead for good at 7-6.

Yakima’s bullpen did its part to preserve the win as Justin Albert and Alex Thieroff combined to retire Tri-City’s last 11 batters.

The Bears added insurance runs in the eighth inning — Brent Greer’s RBI ground out — and ninth — Matt Helm’s RBI single.

In earning just its second win in 12 tries against the East Division champs, Yakima wasted no time with five runs in the first inning — and did so with just two singles. One of those was Tyrell Worthington’s two-run, two-out single that drove in the fourth and fifth runs.

Tri-City starter Brad McAtee was a big help in the breakout frame, issuing four walks and hitting two batters.

The Dust Devils, however, answered back with three runs in the bottom of the first and appeared to doom Yakima to defeat again when Bo Bowman tripled in the fifth and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

Sherlock’s second homer of the season halted the Bears’ slide, and Albert and Thieroff blanked Tri-City over the final four innings. Tri-City pitchers walked seven while Yakima issued just one free pass.

Yakima opens its final series of the season today at Spokane.

Next game

Opponent: Spokane Indians.

When, where: 6:30 p.m., today, Avista Stadium, Spokane.

Radio: KUTI (1460).

Probable pitchers: TBA.

Box score

Northwest League Standings

PASCO, Wash. — How much damage can one little inning do?

In the case of Wednesday’s game between the Yakima Bears and Tri-City, plenty.

Despite outscoring and outplaying the Dust Devils for most of the game, Yakima couldn’t come close to overcoming one big implosion — a 10-run fifth inning — and the result was a 12-6 loss at Gesa Stadium.

After their ninth straight loss to Tri-City, the Bears will play their last game against the East Division champs today before heading to Spokane for a season-ending series with the Indians.

Yakima struck first and fast Wednesday with Roidany Aguila’s three-run double in the first inning. The Bears loaded the bases with no outs, and Tri-City starter Wes Musick nearly got out of the mess with back-to-back strikeouts before Aguila came through with his clutch double.

Spotted the 3-0 lead, Yakima starter Brad Wilson cruised through four scoreless innings.

Then the bottom fell out in the fifth.

After giving up a leadoff double followed by a ground out, Wilson issued three consecutive walks and hit a batter. Chris Vasami then delivered a pinch-hit, two-run single to put the Dust Devils up for good.

Two Yakima errors extended the inning and Tri-City took full advantage, adding a two-run single by Jose Gonzalez followed by a two-run homer by Shane Lowe to hit double digits in the frame.

The Bears made four errors in the game and Tri-City wasn’t stellar either, committing three. Two of TC’s miscues came right after its big inning, which allowed Yakima to plate three runs in the sixth inning and pull the deficit to 10-6.

Any additional rally was stopped cold by Dust Devil pitchers Paul Bargas and Craig Bennigson, who combined to retire the Bears in order in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.