California League


The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as the Low-A West before re-assuming its original moniker in 2022.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, league attendance continued to increase each season, with over one million fans attending games per year, part of a general nationwide growth and expansion to smaller towns, cities, and regions below those in the National League or American League with Minor League Baseball at various levels of play in growing popularity in the last few decades.

History

There were various attempts in the late 1800s and early 1900s to form a "California League" on the West Coast, considering the distance of the two current major leagues which generally had teams only in the Northeast and were restricted at first until World War I by long-distance train travel. The first organized California League lasted from 1887 to 1889, then another followed in 1891, and 1893, and finally in 1899–1902. After the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, an organization of minor leagues was formed in 1902,, the California League operated outside the NAPBL system as an independent league in 1902 and again from 1907 to 1909. This led to huge differences in the quality of teams competing with each other. In 1907, the San Francisco team was 3–34, while later in 1908 San Francisco was 9–67 and Oakland was 4–71. Oakland and San Francisco competed in every year of these various state leagues, with San Francisco having two teams during 1887–88.
The latest version of the California League was founded in 1941, and included teams in Anaheim, Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Stockton. The following year, as a result of World War II, the league dropped to four teams, then ceased and suspended operations altogether, although major league baseball and some minor leagues continued as much as possible with limited availability of players during the war years. It reorganized and came back in 1946, adding teams in Visalia, San Jose, and Ventura by 1947. Further east, Reno, Nevada joined the league in 1955 with the movement of the old Channel Cities Oilers in Santa Barbara and continued as a member for 37 years.
Though nicknames and affiliations shifted, the California League's postwar configuration was largely stable by the late 1950s; four of the six cities in the league in 1960 would still be part of the league 50 years later. The league reached eight clubs in 1966 and would hold that for ten years, briefly dipped to six before wavering between eight and nine clubs in the early eighties, then reached ten in 1986 and held that configuration for thirty-one seasons. From 1996 to 2016, the league had a remarkably stable alignment for Class A baseball, with no teams moving or folding for twenty-one years. After the 2016 season, the Bakersfield Blaze, long dogged by inadequate facilities and unable to negotiate significant repairs, and the High Desert Mavericks, suffering from falling attendance and a lease dispute with the city of Adelanto, were folded; the High-A level replaced them by expanding the Carolina League to ten teams.
The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30. As part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues, the California League was demoted to Low-A and temporarily renamed the "Low-A West" for the 2021 season. Following MLB's acquisition of the rights to the names of the historical minor leagues, the Low-A West was renamed the California League, and the Low-A classification was renamed Single-A effective with the 2022 season.

Current teams


DivisionTeamMLB affiliationCityStadiumCapacity
NorthFresno GrizzliesColorado RockiesFresno, CaliforniaChukchansi Park10,650
NorthSan Jose GiantsSan Francisco GiantsSan Jose, CaliforniaExcite Ballpark4,200
NorthStockton PortsAthleticsStockton, CaliforniaBanner Island Ballpark5,200
NorthVisalia RawhideArizona DiamondbacksVisalia, CaliforniaValley Strong Ballpark2,468
SouthInland Empire 66ersSeattle MarinersSan Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Manuel Stadium8,000
SouthLake Elsinore StormSan Diego PadresLake Elsinore, CaliforniaLake Elsinore Diamond5,160
SouthOntario Tower BuzzersLos Angeles DodgersOntario, CaliforniaONT Field6,000
SouthRancho Cucamonga QuakesLos Angeles AngelsRancho Cucamonga, CaliforniaLoanMart Field6,588

League champions

Year by Year list of league champions:

Complete team list (1941–1942, 1946–present)

The Los Angeles area, Riverside, San Bernardino, Palm Springs, Yuma and Las Vegas were also major league spring training site cities, as well possessed California League teams on different occasions.

Cities that have had California League teams

  • Adelanto
  • Anaheim
  • Atwater
  • Bakersfield
  • Fresno
  • Lake Elsinore
  • Lancaster
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Lodi
  • Merced
  • Modesto
  • Palm Springs
  • Rancho Cucamonga
  • Reno, Nevada
  • Riverside
  • Rohnert Park
  • Salinas
  • San Bernardino
  • San Jose
  • Santa Barbara
  • Santa Clara
  • Stockton
  • Ventura
  • Visalia
Modesto has hosted a California League team longer than any other city, hosting a team in all but seven of the CL's 82 seasons.

League timeline


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Period = from:01/01/1941 till:12/31/2030
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Colors = id:barcolor
id:line value:pink
id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a current league member
id:Past value:rgb # Use to indicate a former team
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width:15 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:Past from:01/01/1941 till:12/31/1941 text:Anaheim Aces
bar:2 color:Past from:01/01/1941 till:06/28/1942 text:Bakersfield Badgers
bar:2 color:Past from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1975 text: /Indians / Boosters / Bears / Dodgers
bar:2 color:Past from:01/01/1978 till:12/31/1979 text:/Outlaws
bar:2 color:Past from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/2016 text:Bakersfield Mariners / Dodgers / Blaze
bar:3 color:Past from: 01/01/1941 till:06/28/1942 text:Fresno Cardinals / Sun Sox / Giants / Suns
bar:3 color:Past from: 01/01/1946 till:12/31/1988
bar:4 color:Past from:01/01/1941 till:12/31/1941 text:Merced Bears
bar:5 color:Past from:01/01/1941 till:12/31/1941 text:Riverside Reds
bar:5 color:Past from:01/01/1988 till:12/31/1990 text:Riverside Red Wave / Pilots / High Desert Mavericks
bar:5 color:Past from: 01/01/1993 till:12/31/2016
bar:6 color:Past from:01/01/1941 till:12/31/1941 text:San Bernardino Stars
bar:6 color:Full from:01/01/1987 till:12/31/2030 text:San Bernardino Spirit / Stampede / Inland Empire 66ers
bar:7 color:Past from:01/01/1941 till:06/28/1942 text:Santa Barbara Saints
bar:7 color:Past from:01/01/1946 till:07/01/1955 text: / Dodgers / Channel City Oilers
bar:7 color:Past from:01/01/1962 till:12/31/1967 text:Santa Barbara Rancheros / Dodgers
bar:8 color:Past from:01/01/1941 till:12/31/1941 text:Stockton Fliers
bar:8 color:Past from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1972 text:[Stockton Ports| Stockton Ports]
bar:8 color:Full from:01/01/1978 till:12/31/2030 text: Stockton Mariners / Ports / [Mudville Nine / Stockton Ports]
bar:9 color:Past from:01/01/1942 till:06/28/1942 text:San Jose Owls
bar:9 color:Past from:01/01/1947 till:05/25/1958 text: San Jose Red Sox / JoSox / Pirates
bar:9 color:Past from:01/01/1962 till:12/31/1976 text:San Jose Bees / Missions
bar:9 color:Full from:01/01/1979 till:12/31/2030 text:San Jose Missions / Expos / Bees / Giants
bar:10 color:Past from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1964 text:Modesto Reds / Colts
bar:10 color:Full from:01/01/1966 till:12/31/2030 text:Modesto Reds / A's / Nuts
bar:11 color:Past from:01/01/1946 till:12/31/1962 text:Visalia Cubs / Stars / Cubs / Redlegs / A's / White Sox
bar:11 color:Past from:01/01/1968 till:12/31/1975 text:Visalia Mets
bar:11 color:Full from:01/01/1977 till:12/31/2030 text:[Visalia Rawhide|Visalia Oaks / Central Valley Rockies / Visalia Oaks / Visalia Rawhide]
bar:12 color:Past from:01/01/1947 till:12/31/1953 text:Ventura Yankees / Braves / Oilers
bar:12 color:Past from:01/01/1986 till:12/31/1986 text:Ventura County Gulls
bar:13 color:Past from:01/01/1954 till:12/31/1958 text:Salinas Packers
bar:13 color:Past from:01/01/1963 till:12/31/1965 text:Salinas Mets / Indians
bar:13 color:Past from:01/01/1973 till:12/31/1980 text:Salinas Packers / Angels
bar:13 color:Past from:01/01/1982 till:12/31/1987 text:Salinas Spurs
bar:13 color:Past from:01/01/1989 till:12/31/1992 text:Salinas Spurs
bar:14 color:Past from:07/01/1955 till:12/31/1964 text:Reno Silver Sox
bar:14 color:Past from:01/01/1966 till:12/31/1992 text:Reno Silver Sox / Padres / Silver Sox
bar:15 color:Past from:05/26/1958 till:12/31/1958 text:Las Vegas Wranglers
bar:16 color:Past from:01/01/1966 till:12/31/1984 text:Lodi Crushers / Padres / Orions / Lions / Orioles / Dodgers / Crushers
bar:17 color:Past from:01/01/1979 till:12/31/1979 text:Santa Clara Padres
bar:18 color:Past from:01/01/1980 till:12/31/1985 text:Redwood Pioneers
bar:19 color:Past from:01/01/1986 till:12/31/1993 text:Palm Springs Angels
bar:20 color:Full from:01/01/1993 till:12/31/2030 text:Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
bar:21 color:Full from:01/01/1994 till:12/31/2030 text:Lake Elsinore Storm
bar:22 color:Past from:01/01/1996 till:06/28/2019 text:Lancaster JetHawks
bar:23 color:Full from:01/01/2026 till:12/31/2030 text:Ontario Tower Buzzers
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text:^"California League Timeline"
  1. > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following three options Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. <#

    Team list (prior incarnations)

1906–1909

The California League inducted its first class of 15 inductees into its Hall of Fame in 2016.

Awards

Most Valuable Player

The California League Most Valuable Player Award was established in 1941.

Pitcher of the Year

For award winners, see footnote

Rookie of the Year

For award winners, see footnote

Manager of the Year

For award winners, see footnote

Doug Harvey Award

The Doug Harvey Award—established in 2010—is for the umpire of the year.