1956 California League season
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| 1956 California League season | |
|---|---|
| League | California League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 20 – September 3 |
| Number of games | 140 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | Fresno Cardinals |
| Season MVP | Dick Whitman, San Jose JoSox |
| Playoffs | |
| League champions | Fresno Cardinals |
| Runners-up | Stockton Ports |
The 1956 California League was a Class C baseball season played between April 20 and September 3. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, as the top four teams qualified for the playoffs.
The Fresno Cardinals won the California League championship, defeating the Stockton Ports in the final round of the playoffs.
- The Bakersfield Indians ended their affiliation with the Brooklyn Dodgers and began a new affiliation with the Philadelphia Phillies. The club would be renamed to the Bakersfield Boosters.
- The Reno Silver Sox began an affiliation with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- The Salinas Packers ended their affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates and began a new affiliation with the Milwaukee Braves.
- The San Jose Red Sox ended their affiliation with the Boston Red Sox. The club would be renamed to the San Jose JoSox.
Teams
Map of teams
Regular season
Summary
- The Fresno Cardinals finished with the best record in the regular season for the second consecutive season.
Standings
| California League | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Fresno Cardinals | 91 | 49 | .650 | – |
| Stockton Ports | 83 | 57 | .593 | 8 |
| San Jose JoSox | 79 | 61 | .564 | 12 |
| Reno Silver Sox | 73 | 67 | .521 | 18 |
| Visalia Cubs | 67 | 73 | .479 | 24 |
| Modesto Reds | 66 | 74 | .471 | 25 |
| Salinas Packers | 53 | 87 | .379 | 38 |
| Bakersfield Boosters | 48 | 92 | .343 | 43 |
League Leaders
Batting leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Dick Whitman, San Jose JoSox | .391 |
| H | Dick Greco, Modesto Reds | 192 |
| R | Bud Heslet, Visalia Cubs | 147 |
| 2B | Dick Greco, Modesto Reds | 39 |
| 3B | Tony Alomar, Fresno Cardinals | 20 |
| HR | Bud Heslet, Visalia Cubs | 51 |
| RBI | Bud Heslet, Visalia Cubs | 172 |
| SB | Henry Mitchell, Modesto Reds | 34 |
Pitching leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Pete Hernandez, Visalia Cubs | 24 |
| ERA | Alvin Spearman, Stockton Ports | 2.62 |
| CG | Pete Hernandez, Visalia Cubs | 29 |
| SHO | Elmer Franklin, Visalia Cubs Louis Hribar, Reno Silver Sox | 9 |
| IP | Pete Hernandez, Visalia Cubs | 287.0 |
| SO | Dave Jordan, Stockton Ports | 227 |
Playoffs
- The playoffs were expanded to two rounds, the league semi-finals and the final series.
- The semi-finals would be 1 vs. 3 and 2 vs. 4.
- The semi-finals were a best-of-three series and the finals would remain a best-of-five series.
- The Fresno Cardinals won their second consecutive, and third overall, California League championship, defeating the Stockton Ports in four games.
Playoff bracket
| Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||
| 1 | Fresno | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | San Jose | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Fresno | 3 | |||||||
| 2 | Stockton | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Stockton | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Reno | 1 | |||||||
Awards
| California League awards | |
|---|---|
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Dick Whitman, San Jose JoSox |