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.
Team changes 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 1956 California League Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium Bakersfield Boosters Bakersfield, California Philadelphia Phillies Sam Lynn Ballpark Fresno Cardinals Fresno, California St. Louis Cardinals Fresno State College Park Modesto Reds Modesto, California New York Yankees Del Webb Field Reno Silver Sox Reno, Nevada Brooklyn Dodgers Moana Stadium Salinas Packers Salinas, California Milwaukee Braves Salinas Municipal Stadium San Jose JoSox San Jose, California None San Jose Municipal Stadium Stockton Ports Stockton, California None Billy Hebert Field Visalia Cubs Visalia, California None Recreation Ballpark
Map of teams
Regular season Summary The Fresno Cardinals finished with the best record in the regular season for the second consecutive season.
Standings CALL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed October 9, 2025 California League Team Win Loss % GB Fresno Cardinals 91 49 – Stockton Ports 83 57 8 San Jose JoSox 79 61 12 Reno Silver Sox 73 67 18 Visalia Cubs 67 73 24 Modesto Reds 66 74 25 Salinas Packers 53 87 38 Bakersfield Boosters 48 92 43
League Leaders Batting leaders 1956 CALL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed October 9, 2025 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 1956 CALL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed October 9, 2025 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
Awards California League awards Award name Recipient Most Valuable Player Dick Whitman, San Jose JoSox
See also 1956 Major League Baseball season
References
External links Minor League Baseball official website