1996 California League season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 1996 California League season | |
|---|---|
| League | California League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 4 – September 1 |
| Games | 140 |
| Teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | San Jose Giants |
| Season MVP | D. T. Cromer, Modesto A's |
| Playoffs | |
| League champions | Lake Elsinore Storm |
| Runners-up | San Jose Giants |
The 1996 California League was a Class A-Advanced baseball season played between April 4 and September 1. Ten teams played a 140-game schedule, as three teams from each division qualified for the post-season, the winner of each half of the season plus playoff qualifiers.
The Lake Elsinore Storm won the California League championship, as they defeated the San Jose Giants in the final round of the playoffs.
- The Riverside Pilots are relocated to Lancaster, California and are renamed to the Lancaster JetHawks. The club remained affiliated with the Seattle Mariners.
- The San Bernardino Spirit are renamed to the San Bernardino Stampede. The club remained affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- The Visalia Oaks began an affiliation with the Detroit Tigers.
Teams
Map of teams
Regular season
Summary
- The San Jose Giants finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time since 1991.
Standings
| North Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| San Jose Giants | 89 | 51 | .636 | – |
| Modesto A's | 82 | 58 | .586 | 7 |
| Stockton Ports | 79 | 61 | .564 | 10 |
| Visalia Oaks | 50 | 90 | .357 | 39 |
| Bakersfield Blaze | 39 | 101 | .279 | 50 |
| South Division | ||||
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| High Desert Mavericks | 76 | 64 | .543 | – |
| Lake Elsinore Storm | 75 | 65 | .536 | 1 |
| Lancaster JetHawks | 71 | 69 | .507 | 5 |
| San Bernardino Stampede | 70 | 70 | .500 | 6 |
| Rancho Cucamonga Quakes | 69 | 71 | .493 | 7 |
League Leaders
Batting leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Mike Berry, High Desert Mavericks | .361 |
| H | Tim Garland, San Jose Giants | 171 |
| R | Dave Roberts, Visalia Oaks | 112 |
| 2B | Joe Erso, Lake Elsinore Storm | 47 |
| 3B | Shane Monahan, Lancaster JetHawks | 12 |
| HR | Chris Kirgan, High Desert Mavericks | 35 |
| RBI | Chris Kirgan, High Desert Mavericks | 131 |
| SB | Dave Roberts, Visalia Oaks | 65 |
Pitching leaders
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Darin Blood, San Jose Giants | 17 |
| ERA | Darin Blood, San Jose Giants | 2.65 |
| CG | Igor Oropeza, Bakersfield Blaze | 4 |
| SHO | Darin Blood, San Jose Giants | 2 |
| SV | Rich Linares, San Bernardino Stampede | 33 |
| IP | Steve Woodard, Stockton Ports | 181.1 |
| SO | Darin Blood, San Jose Giants | 193 |
Playoffs
- The Lake Elsinore Storm won their first California League championship, as they defeated the San Jose Giants in five games.
Playoff bracket
| Division semi-finals | Division finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| N1 | San Jose | bye | ||||||||||||
| N1 | San Jose | 3 | ||||||||||||
| N3 | Stockton | 1 | ||||||||||||
| N2 | Modesto | 0 | ||||||||||||
| N3 | Stockton | 2 | ||||||||||||
| N1 | San Jose | 2 | ||||||||||||
| S3 | Lake Elsinore | 3 | ||||||||||||
| S1 | High Desert | bye | ||||||||||||
| S1 | High Desert | 0 | ||||||||||||
| S3 | Lake Elsinore | 3 | ||||||||||||
| S2 | Rancho Cucamonga | 0 | ||||||||||||
| S3 | Lake Elsinore | 2 | ||||||||||||
Awards
| California League awards | |
|---|---|
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | D. T. Cromer, Modesto A's |