The Santa Ana Walnut Growers were minor league baseball team based in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...

in 1910. The Walnut Growers were succeeded by the short–lived 1929 Santa Ana Orange Countians. Santa Ana teams played as members of the Class D level

Southern California Trolley League The Southern California Trolley League was a short–lived minor league baseball league that played in the 1910 season. The Class D level, six–team Southern California Trolley League consisted of franchises based in California. With all the ...

in 1910 and

California State League 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. The 1910 version was actua ...

in 1929, hosting home minor league games at Hawley Park.

History

Minor league baseball was first hosted in Santa Ana, California in 1910, when the Santa Ana Walnut Growers became founding members of the Class D level

. The team was also referred to as the "Sand Dabs." Redondo Beach was one of six charter franchises when the league formed for the 1910 season under league president Jim McCormick. The Redondo Beach Wharf Rats joined the franchises from Long Beach, California (

Long Beach Clothiers The Long Beach Beachcombers was the final moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Long Beach, California in 1910 and 1913. Long Beach teams played as members of the Class D (baseball), Class D level Southern California Trolley League in ...

), Los Angeles, California ( Los Angeles McCormicks and

Los Angeles Maiers The Los Angeles Maiers were a minor league baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. In 1910, the Maiers played as members of the Class D level Southern California Trolley League. The team and the league folded during the 1910 season. The ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

(

Pasadena Silk Sox The Pasadena Silk Sox were a short–lived minor league baseball team based in Pasadena, California in 1910. Pasadena teams played as members of the Class D level Southern California Trolley League in 1910 and the 1913 Southern California League, ...

) and Redondo Beach, California (

Redondo Beach Wharf Rats The Redondo Beach Wharf Rats were a minor league baseball team based in Redondo Beach, California. In 1910, the Wharf Rats played as members of the short– lived Class D level Southern California Trolley League, winning the championship in the ...

) to form the league. The league's "Trolley" name was in reference to all the league franchises, Redondo Beach included, being located in the greater Los Angeles, California area, where the league ballparks were accessible from each other via trolley. Some references refer to the 1910 Santa Ana team as the "Yellow Sox." When Santa Ana and the Southern California Trolley League began play in 1910, games were scheduled only on Sundays, with play to continue all year long. The Walnut Growers officially began play on April 3, 1910, under their manager, referenced as "Meats." As the season progressed, both the Santa Ana Walnut Growers and Redondo Beach were the top league teams. After three weeks of play, both teams had 3–0 records, after seven weeks they were both 6–1 and after ten weeks they were tied with 8–2 records. In week eleven, the two teams met and Redondo Beach ended the tie in the standings, defeating Santa Ana by the score of 8–2. This was the final week of league play. The Southern California Trolley League had franchises that faced immediate financial difficulty when play began. On May 3, 1910, the Pasadena Silk Sox and the Los Angeles Maiers franchises folded simultaneously, reducing the league to four remaining teams. On June 13, 1910, the entire Southern California Trolley League permanently disbanded. At the time the league folded, the Redondo Beach Warf Rats (9–2) were in first place in the California Trolley League Standings, followed by the Santa Ana Walnut Growers (8–3). The Long Beach Clothiers (4–5) and Los Angeles McCormicks (2–7) followed in the final Standings. After the league folded, it was reported that league president Jim McCormick organized a league meeting at his pool hall on South Spring Street for the purpose of settling the league's remaining business affairs. Minor league baseball returned briefly to Santa Ana in 1929. The Santa Ana Orange Countiers began the season as members of the four–team Class D level

. On May 8, 1929, the Santa Ana franchise had a 4–20 record when the team moved to become the short–lived Pomona Arabs. After six games in their new locale, Pomona (2–4) moved to Coronado County on May 15, 1929, playing as the Coronado Arabs. The league itself folded on June 17, 1929. At the time the league folded, the combined team finished last, placing fourth with a 22–38 overall record. Managed by Jess Orndorff and Pinch Thomas the Santa Ana/Pomona/Coronado team finished 12.5 games behind the first place San Diego Aces in the final standings. Santa Ana has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

The Santa Ana teams played home minor league games at Hawley Park.Epting, Chris (2012) Baseball in Orange County. Arcadia Publishing, p.30.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

Jess Orndorff Jesse Walworth Thayer Orndorff (January 15, 1881 – September 28, 1960) was a Major League Baseball catcher. He played for the Boston Doves in . He played parts of nine seasons in the minor leagues from 1904 to 1917. Orndorff wrote a booklet c ...

(1929, MGR) * Pinch Thomas (1929, MGR) *The complete player roster for the 1910 Santa Ana team is unknown.

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Santa Ana - Baseball Reference
Defunct baseball teams in California Southern California Trolley League teams Baseball teams established in 1910 Baseball teams disestablished in 1910 Santa Ana, California Baseball teams in Los Angeles