List of California League champions

The California League of Minor League Baseball is a Single-A baseball league in the United States. The league was founded in 1941, but ceased operations from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. The circuit reorganized in 1946 and was in continual operation through 2020. The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[1] and the league ceased operations before the 2021 season in conjunction with Major League Baseball's (MLB) reorganization of Minor League Baseball.[2] In place of the California League, MLB created the Low-A West, an 8-team circuit divided into two divisions.[3] Prior to the 2022 season, MLB renamed the Low-A West as the California League, and it carried on the history of the league prior to reorganization.[4] In 2021, the Low-A West held a best-of-five series between the top two teams in the league, regardless of division standings, to determine a league champion.[5]

A league champion has been determined at the end of each season by either postseason playoffs or being declared champion by the league office. In 2019, the first-half winner in each division (North and South) received a bye into the second round, or division series. Each division's second-half winner and wild card team, the team with the best winning percentage over the entire season to have not won either half of the season, faced each other in a best-of-three series. The winner of this mini-series met the division's first-half winner in a best-of-five series to determine division champions. Then, the North and South division winners played a best-of-five series to determine a league champion.[6] As of 2022, the winners of each division from both the first and second halves of the season meet in a best-of-three division series, with the winners of the two division series meeting in a best-of-three championship series.[7]

League champions

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Score and finalist information is only presented when postseason play occurred. The lack of this information indicates a declared league champion.
Year Champion Score Finalist
1941 Santa Barbara Saints 4–1 Fresno Cardinals
1942 Not in operation
1943 Not in operation
1944 Not in operation
1945 Not in operation
1946 Stockton Ports 4–0 Modesto Reds
1947 Stockton Ports 4–0 Santa Barbara Dodgers
1948 Santa Barbara Dodgers 4–3 Stockton Ports
1949 San Jose Red Sox 4–1 Ventura Yankees
1950 Modesto Reds 4–1 Stockton Ports
1951 Santa Barbara Dodgers 4–1 Visalia Cubs
1952 Fresno Cardinals 4–2 San Jose Red Sox
1953 San Jose Red Sox 4–2 Stockton Ports
1954 Modesto Reds 4–1 San Jose Red Sox
1955 Fresno Cardinals 3–1 Stockton Ports
1956 Fresno Cardinals 3–1 Stockton Ports
1957 Salinas Packers 3–1 Reno Silver Sox
1958 Fresno Giants 3–1 Visalia Redlegs
1959 Modesto Reds 4–2 Bakersfield Bears
1960 Reno Silver Sox
1961 Reno Silver Sox
1962 San Jose Bees 4–3 Reno Silver Sox
1963 Stockton Ports 2–0 Modesto Colts
1964 Fresno Giants
1965 Stockton Ports 2–0 San Jose Bees
1966 Modesto Reds
1967 San Jose Bees 2–0 Modesto Reds
1968 Fresno Giants 2–1 San Jose Bees
1969 Stockton Ports 2–1 Visalia Mets
1970 Bakersfield Dodgers
1971 Visalia Mets 2–0 Fresno Giants
1972 Modesto Reds 2–0 Bakersfield Dodgers
1973 Lodi Lions 2–0 Bakersfield Dodgers
1974 Fresno Giants 3–2 San Jose Bees
1975 Reno Silver Sox
1976 Reno Silver Sox 3–1 Salinas Angels
1977 Lodi Dodgers 3–0 Salinas Angels
1978 Visalia Oaks 3–2 Lodi Dodgers
1979 San Jose Missions 3–2 Stockton Ports
1980 Stockton Ports 3–0 Visalia Oaks
1981 Lodi Dodgers 3–2 Visalia Oaks
1982 Modesto A's 4–2 Visalia Oaks
1983 Redwood Pioneers 3–1 Visalia Oaks
1984 Modesto A's 3–1 Bakersfield Dodgers
1985 Fresno Giants 3–2 Stockton Ports
1986 Stockton Ports 3–0 Visalia Oaks
1987 Fresno Giants 4–3 Reno Padres
1988 Riverside Red Wave 3–0 Stockton Ports
1989 Bakersfield Dodgers 3–0 Stockton Ports
1990 Stockton Ports 3–2 Bakersfield Dodgers
1991 High Desert Mavericks 3–2 Stockton Ports
1992 Stockton Ports 3–1 Visalia Oaks
1993 High Desert Mavericks 3–2 Modesto A's
1994 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3–1 Modesto A's
1995 San Bernardino Spirit 3–0 San Jose Giants
1996 Lake Elsinore Storm 3–2 San Jose Giants
1997 High Desert Mavericks 3–0 San Bernardino Stampede
1998 San Jose Giants 3–1 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
1999 San Bernardino Stampede 3–2 San Jose Giants
2000 San Bernardino Stampede 3–0 Visalia Oaks
2001
[a]
San Jose Giants
Lake Elsinore Storm
2002 Stockton Ports 3–1 Lake Elsinore Storm
2003 Inland Empire 66ers 3–0 Stockton Ports
2004 Modesto A's 3–2 Lancaster JetHawks
2005 San Jose Giants 3–2 Lake Elsinore Storm
2006 Inland Empire 66ers 3–2 Visalia Oaks
2007 San Jose Giants 3–2 Lake Elsinore Storm
2008 Stockton Ports 3–1 Lancaster JetHawks
2009 San Jose Giants 3–0 High Desert Mavericks
2010 San Jose Giants 3–2 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
2011 Lake Elsinore Storm 3–1 Stockton Ports
2012 Lancaster JetHawks 3–0 Modesto Nuts
2013 Inland Empire 66ers 3–0 San Jose Giants
2014 Lancaster JetHawks 3–2 Visalia Rawhide
2015 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3–0 San Jose Giants
2016 High Desert Mavericks 3–0 Visalia Rawhide
2017 Modesto Nuts 3–0 Lancaster JetHawks
2018 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 3–0 Visalia Rawhide
2019 Visalia Rawhide 3–1 Lake Elsinore Storm
2020 None (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic)[1]
2021 San Jose Giants[8] 3–0 Fresno Grizzlies
2022 Lake Elsinore Storm 2–0 Fresno Grizzlies
2023 Modesto Nuts 2–0 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
2024 Modesto Nuts 2–1 Lake Elsinore Storm

Championship wins by team

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Active California League teams appear in bold.

Wins Team Championship years
12 San Jose Red Sox / Bees / Missions / Giants 1949, 1953, 1962, 1967, 1979, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2021
11 Modesto Reds / A's / Nuts 1950, 1954, 1959, 1966, 1972, 1982, 1984, 2004, 2017, 2023, 2024
11 Stockton Ports 1946, 1947, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1980, 1986, 1990, 1992, 2002, 2008
9 Fresno Cardinals / Giants 1952, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1964, 1968, 1974, 1985, 1987
6 San Bernardino Stampede / Spirit / Inland Empire 66ers 1995, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2013
4 High Desert Mavericks 1991, 1993, 1997, 2016
4 Lake Elsinore Storm 1996, 2001, 2011, 2022
4 Reno Silver Sox 1960, 1961, 1975, 1976
3 Santa Barbara Saints / Dodgers 1941, 1948, 1951
3 Lodi Lions / Dodgers 1973, 1977, 1981
3 Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 1994, 2015, 2018
3 Visalia Mets / Oaks / Rawhide 1971, 1978, 2019
2 Bakersfield Dodgers 1970, 1989
2 Lancaster JetHawks 2012, 2014
1 Redwood Pioneers 1983
1 Riverside Red Wave 1988
1 Salinas Packers 1957

Notes

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References

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General
  • "League Champions". California League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
Specific
  1. ^ a b "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Shelved". Minor League Baseball. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Reichard, Kevin (February 12, 2021). "Minor League Baseball Overhaul Unveiled". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  3. ^ Mayo, Jonathan (February 12, 2021). "MLB Announces New Minors Teams, Leagues". Major League Baseball. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  4. ^ "Historical League Names to Return in 2022". Minor League Baseball. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  5. ^ Heneghan, Kelsie (July 1, 2021). "Playoffs Return to the Minor Leagues". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "Playoff Procedures". California League. Minor League Baseball. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  7. ^ "MiLB Playoff Procedures". MiLB.com. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  8. ^ Trujillo, Nick (September 25, 2021). "San Jose Wins Low-A West Title". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved October 10, 2021.