The Campesinos originated in 2019 as part of Minor League Baseball’s “Copa de la Diversion” or “Fun Cup” initiative. A tribute to their hard work, Salem-Keizer’s Campesinos moniker pays tribute to the collective contributions of farm workers toward establishing Oregon as one of the leading agricultural regions in the United States. Campesinos is designed to embrace the culture and values that resonate with the Hispanic/Latino Community of Oregon and the greater Willamette Valley. Campesinos means “farm laborer”, and the world-wide leading agricultural community of Oregon is very fortunate to have these very fine workers, very fine individuals, working on our rich agricultural farms.
The 2021 Campesinos team will be the very first team in the Salem-Keizer area to embrace these outstanding farm workers. “The fact the kids are loving the program made it resonate loudly with us”, said Mickey Walker, CEO for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. “We can hardly wait for the Campesinos to take the field this summer”. You will see “Campesinos de Salem-Keizer” hats and shirts everywhere. They are currently on sale at the Volcanoes Stadium Team Store. Minor League Baseball reports crowds were 24.4% larger on “Copa de la Diversion” nights in 2019, and the new logos became a national merchandising sensation.
A special thanks to The Latino Business Alliance, and other local Hispanic community members that were involved in development of the name and brand – especially Everando Castro of Solo, Inc. in Woodburn, Bo Lane and Eric Fisk for their contributions in the logo development. It is easy to be excited about this new team that honors our Hispanic and agriculture community.