Dave Nichols: Spokane Indians magical 2024 season concludes, rightly, with Northwest League championship

The Spokane Indians’ dominance over the rest of the Northwest League in the 2024 season wasn’t your ordinary, run of the mill variety.

In a harbinger for the rest of the season, the Indians won their first nine games of the season – and never looked back. And though it ended in a string of four-consecutive one-run games in the championship series, the Indians still won three of those four games, even bettering their dominant season winning percentage.

Yes, the team that calls Avista Stadium home was a juggernaut this year. And the stadium, which has been around since 1958, will get a pretty new pennant to fly next year after the massive “Phase 2” renovations this fall and winter.

The Indians defeated the Vancouver Canadians 3-2 in 10 innings in Game 4 of the NWL championship series Saturday night at Gonzaga’s Patterson Baseball Complex, winning the series three games to one. Pitching carried the day, as the Indians’ top hitters – most of whom seldom received a day off in the 132-game schedule – showed signs of weariness down the stretch.

Still, when it mattered most, someone almost always found a way to make a big play. Even if that meant taking a pitch off the forearm to force in the title-clinching run.

The players have scattered now – some to the Colorado Rockies’ Arizona complex, some back to wherever they call home, and one – Rockies’ first-round draft pick Charlie Condon – is in Denver, working out with the big club down the stretch.

But for those of us still in Spokane washing Gatorade stains out of our sneakers, let’s take a look back at the Indians’ championship season – the 20th in Spokane’s rich professional baseball history and first since 2008.

First, second, overall

The Indians maintained the best record in the league all season. After winning their first nine games – three against Vancouver and six straight at Tri-City – they clinched a postseason berth by winning the first half of the season by 3 1/2 games over Hillsboro. That included a 7-3 record down the stretch, which included a road series in Vancouver where they took six of seven.

The winning continued into the second half, which the Indians again won – this time by three games over Vancouver.

Overall, the Indians finished the season 79-51 (.608) – 10 1/2 games ahead of second-place Vancouver, setting the franchise record for overall wins in a Single-A season. They managed a run differential of plus-96, 62 runs higher than the next best, Everett, at plus-34. The Indians and AquaSox were the only two teams in the league with an overall positive run differential.

And not only did the Indians take three of four from Vancouver to win the championship series, that level of domination existed all season against the Canadians – the Indians enjoyed a 23-9 record against their neighbors from the north in 2024.

MVP

Third baseman Kyle Karros was the best and most consistent hitter all season, not just for the team but in the entire league. Karros, in his first full season in professional ball, led the circuit in average (.311), on-base percentage (.390), slugging (.485), doubles (33) and RBIs (78) and was second to teammate Cole Carrigg in home runs by one.

Karros also played a quality third base, showing a strong throwing arm and a terrific knack for coming in on the ball. At 6-foot-5, 220, he should be able to tap more into his natural strength and athleticism and continue to progress up the Rockies’ prospect lists.

It was only fitting that Karros drove in the winning run – with a hit-by-pitch – in the championship series. He was in the middle of everything this season for the Indians.

Carrigg suffered from a prolonged slump in the early part of the second half, but came on strong in the power department down the stretch with five homers in his last 18 games to finish the season at .280/.358/.475 and finishing top-6 in the league in just about every offensive category and second in stolen bases with 51.

Cy Young

It’s somewhat hard to think back to the beginning of the season when the Indians had not one, but two legitimate No. 1 starters in Chase Dollander and Sean Sullivan. The pair were so dominant at the beginning of the season they were both promoted very quickly to Double-A Hartford and they have both continued their mastery of opposing batters.

Including Dollander and Sullivan, the Indians had six pitchers make 14 or more starts. Of the six, Dollander has the highest ceiling, but for this Indians team perhaps the biggest contributor was Mason Green, who went 9-5 with a 2.79 ERA. The 25-year-old lefty was probably playing a level down until his promotion, but he did what he was asked to do – even acting as a “piggyback” reliever on occasion to manage the innings of more heralded prospects.

In the bullpen, the Indians had four pitchers finish with five or more saves, each taking over for someone getting promoted. Zach Agnos was closer for most of the first half, tallying 10 saves in 13 chances. Carson Skipper came next, going 9 of 11, Brayan Castillo was 5 of 6 and lefty Sam Weatherly finished the season going 5 of 5 and not allowing an earned run over 10 appearances and 11 2/3 innings. Weatherly saved Games 1 and 3 and earned the win in Game 4 in the championship series.

Prospect watch

Nearly half of the Rockies’ Top 30 prospects list according to MLB.com (14) played for the Indians this summer, including top prospect Condon. The 21-year-old, who was the consensus Division I college player of the year at Georgia, struggled at the plate in his first taste of professional baseball. But he flashed the immense talent that made the Rockies select him with the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s MLB draft – becoming the highest Rockies’ pick to play in Spokane.

Condon homered and had four hits in his second pro game – at spacious Gesa Stadium in Pasco, no less. But didn’t hit another homer and finished at .180/.248/.270 over 25 games with just six extra-base hits.

Condon wasn’t the only 2024 draft pick to make his Spokane debut either. Catcher Cole Messina (No. 19) played in 17 games down the stretch and hit .140 with a homer and six RBIs.