There were at least three class D California State Leagues in operation at some point in minor league baseball history. Two lasted just a single season (1910 and 1929) and the other lasted three seasons 1913 through 1915.
| Classification | Class D (1910, 1913–1915, 1929) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| First season | 1910 |
| Ceased | 1929 |
| President | Frank Herman (1910) Allan T. Baum (1913–1914) Louis Schroeder (1915) Orville McPherson (1929) |
| No. of teams | 17 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Most titles | 2 Stockton Millers (1910) / Stockton Producers (1913) |
| Related competitions | California League |
The 1910 version was actually class B until June 6, when it became class D. Sacramento and San Francisco dropped out May 31, and Oakland moved to Merced on June 7, which might explain the drop in classification. Then Fresno disbanded June 24, causing the league to cease operations the same day.
The league made it through the 1913 season then disbanded June 1, 1914. When it was re-tried in 1915, the league disbanded May 30, due to heavy rains, with the teams having played only 5 to 7 games.
The 1929 version, which was based in Southern California unlike the previous two versions, lasted until June 17, with teams having played about 50 games.
Cities represented
edit- Alameda, CA: Alameda 1915
- Bakersfield, CA: Bakersfield Bees 1929
- Berkeley, CA: Berkeley 1915
- Coronado, CA: Coronado Arabs 1929
- Fresno, CA: Fresno Tigers 1910; Fresno Packers 1913; Fresno Tigers 1914
- Merced, CA: Merced Fig Growers 1910
- Modesto, CA: Modesto Reds 1914–1915
- Oakland, CA: Oakland Invaders 1910; Oakland Commuters 1915
- Pomona, CA: Pomona Arabs 1929
- Sacramento, CA: Sacramento Baby Senators 1910
- San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Baby Seals 1910; San Francisco 1915
- San Diego, CA: San Diego Aces 1929
- San Jose, CA: San Jose Prune Pickers 1910; San Jose Bears 1913–1915
- Santa Ana, CA: Santa Ana Orange Countians 1929
- Stockton, CA: Stockton Millers 1910; Stockton Producers 1913; Stockton Millers 1914–1915
- Vallejo, CA: Vallejo Marines 1913
- Watsonville, CA: Watsonville Pippins 1913
Standings & statistics
edit1910
edit1910 California State League
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton Millers | 33 | 19 | .635 | – | Jimmy McCall |
| Fresno Tigers | 32 | 21 | .604 | 1.5 | Ed McDonough |
| Oakland Invaders (baseball) / Merced Fig Growers |
25 | 25 | .500 | 7.0 | Cy Mooreing |
| San Jose Prune Pickers | 22 | 30 | .423 | 11.0 | Willis Browne |
| Sacramento Baby Senators | 16 | 23 | .410 | NA | Charles Doyle |
| San Francisco Baby Seals | 14 | 24 | .368 | NA | Tommy Sheehan |
San Francisco and Sacramento disbanded May 31.
Oakland (24–19) moved to Merced June 7.
Fresno disbanded June 24 and the league folded.
The league was a class B until June 6, when it became a class D league.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed McDonough | Fresno | BA | .349 | Oscar Jones | Fresno | W | 16 | |
| Gene Kratzberg | Stockton | Pct | .733; 11–4 |
1913 to 1915
edit1913 California State League
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton Producers | 79 | 44 | .642 | – | Blaine Thomas |
| Fresno Packers | 73 | 50 | .593 | 6.0 | George Wheeler |
| Vallejo / Watsonville | 52 | 71 | .423 | 27.0 | Brick Devereaux |
| San Jose Bears | 42 | 81 | .341 | 37.0 | Judge Nagle |
Vallejo (24–33) moved to Watsonville July 6.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy Smith | San Jose | BA | .323 | Nelson Jones | Stockton | W | 24 | |
| Tom Pierce | Fresno | Runs | 87 | Ashley Pope | Stockton | SO | 235 | |
| Joe Wilhoit | Stockton | Hits | 158 | Nelson Jones | Stockton | Pct | .750; 24–8 | |
| Rinaldo Williams | Vallejo/Watson | HR | 7 |
1914 California State League
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno Tigers | 20 | 15 | .571 | – | George Wheeler |
| San Jose Bears | 20 | 16 | .556 | 0.5 | Mike Steffani |
| Stockton Millers | 17 | 19 | .472 | 3.5 | George Harper |
| Modesto Reds | 14 | 21 | .400 | 6.0 | Jim Byrnes |
The league disbanded June 1.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Boeckel | Stockton | BA | .364 | Horace Miller | Fresno | W | 9 | |
| Tony Boeckel | Stockton | Runs | 25 | Walt Waldschmidt | Fresno | SO | 75 | |
| Tony Boeckel | Stockton | Hits | 51 | Harry Stewart | San Jose | Pct | 1.000; 8–0 | |
| Tom Pierce | Fresno | HR | 2 |
1915 California State League
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modesto Reds | 6 | 1 | .857 | – | Jack Lesher |
| San Jose Bears | 4 | 1 | .800 | 1.0 | Mike Steffani |
| Oakland Commuters | 2 | 3 | .400 | 3.0 | Walt McMemony |
| Alameda | 2 | 3 | .400 | 3.0 | Billy Hammond |
| Stockton Millers | 2 | 4 | .333 | 3.5 | Buck Francks |
| Berkeley / San Francisco | 1 | 5 | .167 | 4.5 | C.W. Brainard / Joe Solari |
Berkeley (0–2) moved to San Francisco April 28.
The league disbanded May 30 due to heavy rains.
No player statistics available.
1929
edit1929 California State League
| Team Standings | W | L | PCT | GB | Managers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Aces | 34 | 25 | .576 | – | Sam Agnew |
| Bakersfield Bees | 32 | 28 | .533 | 2.5 | Louis Guisto / Ned Porter |
| San Bernardino Padres | 32 | 29 | .525 | 3.0 | Rube Ellis |
| Santa Ana / Pomona / Coronado | 22 | 38 | .367 | 12.5 | Jess Orndorf / Pinch Thomas |
Santa Ana (4–20) moved to Pomona May 8, which played six games at San Bernardino.
Pomona (2–4) moved to Coronado County May 15, playing their games at the San Diego ball park.
The league disbanded June 17.
| Player | Team | Stat | Tot | Player | Team | Stat | Tot | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Martin | Bakersfield | BA | .389 | George Caster | San Bernardino | W | 12 | |
| Ned Porter | Bakersfield | Runs | 63 | George Caster | San Bernardino | SO | 80 | |
| L.B. Tomlinson | Bakersfield | Hits | 83 | George Caster | San Bernardino | Pct | .706; 12–5 | |
| Ned Porter | Bakersfield | HR | 15 |
Sources
editThe Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Second Edition.