The Santa Clara Padres were a Minor League Baseball team in the Class A-Short Season

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

, based in Santa Clara, California. The franchise played a single season as an independent club before moving north to become the

Redwood Pioneers The Redwood Pioneers were a minor league baseball of California League. They were part of the California Angels farm system. The Pioneers played in Rohnert Park, California during the early 1980s (1980–85). The team produced players such as K ...

History

The history of the Santa Clara Padres is entangled with the San Jose Missions. San Jose was without a team after the franchise playing as the AAA San Jose Missions were sold relocated to Ogden, Utah following the 1978. Joe Gagliardi, who had operated the Missions under a lease agreement, led a group that would place a California League team in San Jose. The expansion franchise signed a played development contract with the Seattle Mariners and brought the league to nine teams. Seeking an even ten team circuit, Gagliardi convinced Vallejo cardiologist Dr. Thomas Leonard to back another expansion club. From the onset the franchise faced challenges. Leonnard was unable to secure an affiliation with a major league team, relegating the team to operate as a co-op club. The

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

Oakland A’s The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

, St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres provided players. The Padres even loaned their name to the team despite lack of true affiliation. The team even held open tryouts to fill out the roster. The club initially sought Vallejo and Santa Rosa as their home, but were turned away when it was evident that facility upgrades would not be ready in time for the season. The franchise settled in Santa Clara, which coincidentally neighbors San Jose were their expansion counterpart was located. Ultimately, the Missions front office assumed the Padres' front office operations. The club's struggles continued on the field. The Padres lost twenty-one of their first twenty-two games. The team finished the year in last place in their division with a record of 47-93. Without a true how venue the club's woes continued at the gate. It was common for the games to have less than fifty fans in the stands. The Padres attendance for the year fell shy of twenty thousand. Following the season owner Thomas Leonard began seeking a new home for his team. Leonard reached an agreement with Rohnert Park city leaders that included funding for new stadium. The franchise relocated to Rohnert Park, taking the name

Ballpark

The Padres home facility was the venerable Washington Park. Built in 1935 the park had a capacity just over one thousand. However, due to scheduling conflicts, only twenty dates were available for the team. The Padres were forced to use

San Jose Municipal Stadium Excite Ballpark, previously known as San Jose Municipal Stadium or Muni Stadium, is a baseball park in San Jose, California. It is the home of the Minor League Baseball San Jose Giants, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The team plays ...

as the site of the majority of their "home" games.

Notable players

Joe Maddon
Ron Tingley

Season-by-season record

References

External links

Stats Crew
Santa Clara Padres 1979 {{s-end Defunct California League teams Defunct baseball teams in California Professional baseball teams in California Baseball teams established in 1979 Baseball teams disestablished in 1979