1959 California League season

1959 California League season
League	California League
Sport	Baseball
Duration	April 21 – September 7
Number of games	140
Number of teams	6
Regular season
League champions	Modesto Reds
Season MVP	Willie Davis, Reno Silver Sox
Playoffs
League champions	Modesto Reds
Runners-up	Bakersfield Bears
CALL seasons
← 1958 1960 →

The 1959 California League was a Class C baseball season played between April 21 and September 7. Six teams played a 140-game schedule, as the winner of each half of the season qualified for the California League championship round.

The Modesto Reds won the California League championship, defeating the Bakersfield Bears in the final round of the playoffs.

Team changes

• The Las Vegas Wranglers fold.
• The Salinas Packers fold.
• The Stockton Ports ended their affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals and began a new affiliation with the Baltimore Orioles.

Teams

1959 California League
Team	City	MLB Affiliate	Stadium
Bakersfield Bears	Bakersfield, California	Philadelphia Phillies	Sam Lynn Ballpark
Fresno Giants	Fresno, California	San Francisco Giants	John Euless Park
Modesto Reds	Modesto, California	New York Yankees	Del Webb Field
Reno Silver Sox	Reno, Nevada	Los Angeles Dodgers	Moana Stadium
Stockton Ports	Stockton, California	Baltimore Orioles	Billy Hebert Field
Visalia Redlegs	Visalia, California	Cincinnati Reds	Recreation Ballpark

Map of teams

Bakersfield

Fresno

Modesto

Reno

Stockton

Visalia

California League Teams

Regular season

Summary

• The Modesto Reds finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time in team history.

Standings

^[1]

California League
Team	Win	Loss	%	GB
Modesto Reds	86	55	.610	–
Reno Silver Sox	81	58	.583	4
Stockton Ports	76	63	.547	9
Bakersfield Bears	70	71	.496	16
Visalia Redlegs	63	77	.450	22.5
Fresno Giants	44	96	.314	41.5

League Leaders

Batting leaders

^[2]

Stat	Player	Total
AVG	Pedro González, Modesto Reds	.371
H	Willie Davis, Reno Silver Sox	187
R	Willie Davis, Reno Silver Sox	135
2B	Willie Davis, Reno Silver Sox	40
3B	Willie Davis, Reno Silver Sox	16
HR	Rich Barry, Modesto Reds	37
RBI	Ronald Wiley, Bakersfield Bears	125
SB	Chico Ruiz, Visalia Redlegs	61

Pitching leaders

^[3]

Stat	Player	Total
W	Hal Reniff, Modesto Reds	21
ERA	George Gaffney, Stockton Ports	2.49
CG	Richard Gray, Modesto Reds Robert Hurvitz, Reno Silver Sox Hal Reniff, Modesto Reds	12
SHO	Dennis Bennett, Bakersfield Bears James Farland, Bakersfield Bears George Gaffney, Stockton Ports	3
IP	Richard Gray, Modesto Reds	215.0
SO	Paul Underwood, Visalia Redlegs	193

Playoffs

• The playoffs were shortened to only the final round.
• The championship series was lengthened to a best-of-seven series.
• The winners of each half of the season qualified for the post-season.
• The Modesto Reds won their third California League championship, defeating the Bakersfield Bears in six games.

Playoff bracket

	Finals
	1	Bakersfield	2
	2	Modesto	4

Awards

California League awards
Award name	Recipient
Most Valuable Player	Willie Davis, Reno Silver Sox

See also

• 1959 Major League Baseball season

References

1. CALL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed October 10, 2025
2. 1959 CALL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed October 10, 2025
3. 1959 CALL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed October 10, 2025

External links

• Minor League Baseball official website