The Fresno Giants were a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

baseball team that played in the

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 Leagu ...

from 1941 to 1988. The team was based in

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

First teams

The city of Fresno had professional baseball as far back as 1898 when it had a team in the original California League, then considered an "outlaw" league (''i.e.'', outside the bounds of Organized Baseball). The team dropped out of the league after that year, but the California League returned in 1905 with the Fresno Tigers, joined late in the season by Fresno native and future

hall of famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Frank Chance Frank Leroy Chance (September 9, 1877 – September 15, 1924) was an American professional baseball player. A first baseman, Chance played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees from 1898 through 1914. He also served ...

. In 1906, the

Tacoma Tigers Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mou ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

moved to Fresno, playing as the

Fresno Raisin Eaters The Fresno Raisin Eaters were a minor league baseball team which played in the Pacific Coast League in 1906. The Sacramento Solons, a charter member of the PCL which began play in 1903, moved to Tacoma in 1904, where the team won the PCL pennant p ...

for one season. In 1910, Fresno rejoined the old California League, which had entered Organized Baseball as the Class "D" California State League, but the league folded during the season. When the league reorganized, Fresno rejoined it in 1913, finishing second in a four-team league. Fresno finished first in 1914, after which the team and league folded. Starting in 1905, these teams played at Recreation Park.

Cardinals Affiliation

When the modern California League was founded in 1941 as a Class "C" minor league, the Fresno Cardinals were a charter member, the others being the Anaheim Aces, Bakersfield Badgers, Merced Bears, Riverside Reds, San Bernardino Stars, Santa Barbara Saints, and Stockton Fliers. The Cards finished first, games ahead of the Saints, but lost the playoffs to the Saints 4 games to 1. In 1942, they finished second in a season shortened by America's entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The league suspended play for the 1943, 1944, and 1945 seasons. In 1946, the California League resumed operations. The Cardinals won pennants in 1948 and 1952. In 1955, the Cardinals fielded one of the best teams in the history of minor league baseball, ranked the 79th best minor league team of all time by baseball historians

Bill Weiss William J. Weiss (June 2, 1925, Chicago – August 16, 2011, San Mateo, California), was an American baseball historian and statistician. He served as the official statistician for the Pacific Coast League, and edited a weekly newsletter for ...

and Marshall Wright. It was one of only a handful of lower classification teams (''i.e.'', Class A, B, C and D) to have been included in the top 100 minor league teams. The Cards finished 104–43 for a .707 won-lost percentage, games ahead of the

San Jose Red Sox The San Jose Red Sox were a Boston Red Sox affiliate from 1947 to 1955, located in San Jose, California. They competed in the California League and they played at San Jose Municipal Stadium and won league championships in 1949 and 1953. After the ...

for the season as a whole. The league played a split season schedule, though, and the Cards finished second, games behind the

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Banner I ...

in the first half of the split season. In the second half, though Stockton faded, Fresno barely finished first, only one game over San Jose. In the playoffs, Fresno defeated Stockton 3 games to 1 to win the CL pennant. The 1955 Cardinals set league records for most runs (1,048), hits (1,500), and RBI (893) in a season. Their 104 games won and .707 winning percentage remain California League records to this day. The team won its last pennant in Fresno the following year, 1956. The Fresno Cardinals had long been one of the league's more popular teams, due in large part to its affiliation with the major league Cardinals. Until 1955, St. Louis had been the major leagues' westernmost city, with the St. Louis Cardinals winning many fans in the western part of the United States as a result. In addition, a large percentage of the population of Fresno and the surrounding area consisted of transplants from the states of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, who arrived with a natural affinity for the Cardinals. The televising of major league baseball games and other factors began taking its toll on minor league attendance during the 1950s, with many teams and entire leagues folding as a result. Scaling back their minor league operations, the St. Louis Cardinals sold their Fresno club after the 1956 season to the Greater Fresno Youth Foundation and ended their affiliation with the team. In 1957 the team, now known as the Fresno Sun Sox, operated without a major league affiliation, and finished last. Jerry Zuvela was the team captain. In 2010, the

Fresno Cardinals Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, a collegiate summer baseball team was founded.

Giants Affiliation

In 1958, the team entered into a working agreement with the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

, who had moved from New York the previous winter, and were renamed the Fresno Giants, winning the California League pennant in their inaugural year. In 1963, the entire minor league system was reorganized, with the California League granted Class A status for the first time. As a Class A team, the Fresno Giants won championships in 1964, 1968, 1974, 1985 and 1987. With the 1987 championship, Fresno tied Modesto for most California League championships (9) up to that time in the history of the league. On August 8, 1985, Fresno became the first California League franchise to win 3,000 games (Source: Bill Weiss). Fresno hosted the California League All-Star game in 1986 and 1987 at Euless Park. The Greater Fresno Youth Foundation operated the Fresno Giants and hosted an annual hot stove league dinner in the winter. The

Oakland A's Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

and other teams sent players and coaches to the dinner regularly as part of their winter hot stove league tours. The Greater Fresno Youth Foundation had two general managers during the time it owned the team. Tom McGurn ran the ballclub (source: Fresno Bee death notice, October 24, 1989, retrieved July 11, 2014) from 1957 to 1978. In those days, running a minor league baseball operation was a one-man job. Bill Thompson, who had formerly teamed with

Russ Hodges Russell Pleasant Hodges (June 18, 1910 – April 19, 1971) was an American sportscaster who did play-by-play for several baseball teams, most notably the New York Giants / San Francisco Giants. He is perhaps best remembered for his call of Bo ...

and

Lon Simmons Lonnie Alexander "Lon" Simmons (July 19, 1923 – April 5, 2015) was an American sports announcer, best known for his play-by-play broadcasts of San Francisco Giants baseball and San Francisco 49ers football. He was born in Vancouver, Wash ...

announcing San Francisco Giants radio broadcasts from 1965 to 1975, was hired as general manager in 1978 and was there when the Greater Fresno Youth Foundation sold the team to Modesto-based

Save Mart Supermarkets The Save Mart Companies is an American grocery store operator founded and headquartered in Modesto, California. It owns and operates stores under the Save Mart, Lucky, and FoodMaxx brands. The stores are located in northern and central California ...

president Bob Piccinini in 1982. As minor league operations became more sophisticated and required more management, Piccinini and Thompson hired an assistant general manager, Curt Goldgrabe in 1983, and later Brian Pickering in 1987. Thompson remained general manager until Piccinini sold the Fresno franchise following the 1987 season. (In 1999, Piccinini led an unsuccessful attempt to buy the Oakland A's.) An account of the rest of the ownership story of the Fresno Giants is found in a Fresno Bee sports article from September 13, 1988: ″Piccinini sold the team to Bill Yuill, a Canadian media mogul, for a reported $560,000 on September 15, 1987. After the 46-year-old Euless grandstand was condemned because of structural defects and the team lost its long working agreement with the San Francisco Giants, Yuill reportedly sold it to Dave Kramer, a Van Nuys businessman, for $615,000 in 1988. Kramer suffered major financial losses as the team was forced to rent portable bleachers and trailers to house its dressing rooms, concessions and offices at Euless. In addition, the Fresno Suns operated as a co-op, with players supplied by several major league clubs and the Hanshin Tigers of Japan.″ Up to 1988, Fresno and the San Francisco Giants held the longest continuous working agreement in all of minor league baseball, 30 years. Without a working agreement, operating independently as the Fresno Suns in 1988, and lacking an adequate park, the team finished near the bottom of the standings and drew only 34,734 patrons, less than half the league average. The franchise was bought by

Joe Buzas Joseph John Buzas (October 2, 1918 – March 19, 2003)Salinas for the 1989 season. Minor league baseball returned to Fresno in 1998, when the owners of the

Tucson Toros The Tucson Toros were a professional baseball team based in Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. The original Toros were a Triple-A minor league baseball team in the Pacific Coast League from 1969 to 1997, where they won the PCL Championship in ...

of the AAA

moved their franchise to Fresno and renamed it the

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

, where it once again became a San Francisco Giants affiliate. Grizzlies games were played at Pete Beiden Field on the

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

campus until a new downtown ballpark,

Chukchansi Park Chukchansi Park, formerly known as Grizzlies Stadium, is a city-owned baseball stadium located in Fresno, California, United States, completed in 2002 as the home for Minor League Baseball's Fresno Grizzlies. The first game was May 1, 2002. Loca ...

, was finished for the 2002 season.

Ballpark

The home of minor league baseball in Fresno was originally called Cardinal Field in 1941–42. Grandstands seating 2,600 were built on the site during World War II (source: Fresno Bee, May 20, 1984, retrieved May 19, 2014) to host the Fresno Cardinals on the campus of what was known then as Fresno State College, and was called Fresno State College Park from 1946 to 1957. After the Cardinals affiliation ended in 1957, the name was changed to John Euless Park for John Euless, a local proponent of professional baseball who was associated with the Greater Fresno Youth Foundation and instrumental in keeping pro baseball in Fresno by leading the charge to build the ballpark. Euless came to Fresno in 1906 from Tennessee and was very involved in the city. He worked for real estate and insurance companies, helped start an oil enterprise in the Coalinga district, and advocated for local grape growers in Washington, D.C. (Source: Fresno Bee 7/02/2014) In 1956, Fresno State moved its campus to its present location in the northeast part of the city, and

Fresno City College Fresno City College (FCC or "Fresno City") is a public community college in Fresno, California. It is part of the State Center Community College District within the California Community Colleges system. Fresno City College operates on a semeste ...

bought the old campus. It seemed the beginning of the end of the ballpark started on April 24, 1984 when a gust of wind blew down the left field fence two hours before the start of a game (source: Fresno Bee, April 25, 1984, retrieved May 19, 2014), the same day a 6.1 earthquake hit northern California. Then, the next night, a transformer blew during a game, knocking out the lights and cancelling two games against the

Reno Padres Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

(source: Fresno Bee, April 27, 1984, retrieved May 19, 2014). The

State Center Community College District State Center Community College District (SCCCD) is part of the California Community Colleges system located in Central California. The district operates Fresno City College in Fresno, Reedley College in Reedley, Clovis Community College which ...

, now owner of the ballpark, made an emergency allocation of $42,136 to finance repairs to the outfield fence during a meeting on Tuesday May 1, 1984, and repairs were completed about a month later (Source: Fresno Bee, May 3, 1984, retrieved June 9, 2014). At the same time, Euless Park received a new scoreboard and new field lights, which were installed by July 14, 1984 (Source: Fresno Bee, July 15, 1984, retrieved June 9, 2014). Constructed entirely of wood, the stadium grandstands were intended to be a temporary structure, but continued in its mostly original form until the stands were bulldozed due to structural defects (thought to be termite damage) in the spring of 1988. (Source: Fresno Bee column by Bob McCarthy, September 7, 1988, retrieved June 9, 2014) Fresno City College baseball teams still use this facility for home games today. The ballpark is adjacent to FCC's Ratcliffe football stadium and across Blackstone Avenue from the current Fresno City College campus.

Notable alumni

The following is an alphabetical list of Fresno players and coaches who played or coached in the major leagues. The year played in Fresno is listed after the name. *

Mike Aldrete Michael Peter Aldrete (born January 29, 1961) is an American former professional baseball first baseman/outfielder and current hitting coach for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for 7 teams over a span of ten seasons, incl ...

(1983–84) * Gary Alexander (1974) * Chris Arnold (1967–68) * Mike Benjamin (1987)* * Jose Barrios (1977) * Bob Barton (1960) * Randy Bockus (1983) *

Bobby Bonds Bobby Lee Bonds Sr. (March 15, 1946 – August 23, 2003) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball from to . He played for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers (baseball), ...

(1965–66) *

Chris Bourjos Christopher Bourjos (born October 16, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player who played part of one season for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. He has worked as an Arizona-based scout (sport), scout. Playing ...

(1977) *

Jeff Brantley Jeffrey Hoke Brantley (born September 5, 1963) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons, from to . Brantley, whose nickname is Cowboy, was hired in 2006 as a broadcaster ...

(1985) *

Bob Brenly Robert Earl Brenly (born February 25, 1954) is an American baseball sportscaster and a former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career as a catcher with the San Francisco ...

(1976, 78–79) *

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

(1981–82) * Jake Brown (1969–70) * Ollie Brown (1964) *

DeWayne Buice DeWayne Allison Buice (born August 20, 1957) is an American former professional relief pitcher. Buice played two seasons for the California Angels and half a season for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He officially announced ...

(1979–80) *

Ron Bryant Ronald Raymond Bryant (November 12, 1947 – November 17, 2023) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from to . Bryant's career record was 57 wins and 56 losses with a 4.02 earned run average (ERA), mostly with the San Francisco Giants ...

(1967) *

John Burkett John David Burkett (born November 28, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He compiled 166 wins against 136 losses, 1,766 strikeouts, and a 4.31 earned run average. He pitched from 1987 to 2003, with the San Francisco Gian ...

(1985–86) * Mark Calvert (1978) *

Doug Capilla Douglas Edmund Capilla (born January 7, 1952)Doug Capilla
Baseball Reference. Retrieved 2012-1 ...

(1973) * Don Carrithers (1968) * Tom Cheney (1954) * Joseph Cherry (1985) * Jack Clark (1974) *

Will Clark William Nuschler Clark Jr. (born March 13, 1964) is an American professional baseball first baseman who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 through 2000. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and ...

(1985) *

Alan Cockrell Atlee Alan Cockrell (born December 5, 1962) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and coach. Football career Twice named first-team all state, Cockrell led Joplin, Missouri's Parkwood High School Bears football team to a 31–3 ...

(1984) *

Craig Colbert Craig Charles Colbert (born February 13, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and former bench coach for the San Diego Padres. A 1983 graduate out of Manhattan High School, Colbert was selected in the 20th round of the 1986 Major Lea ...

(1987) *

Dennis Cook Dennis Bryan Cook (born October 4, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the San Francisco Giants (–), Philadelphia Phillies (1989–, ), Los Angeles Dodgers (1990–), Clevela ...

(1986) *

Mike Corkins Michael Patrick Corkins (May 25, 1946 – November 27, 2023) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. The right-hander was signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent before the 1965 season, and later drafted by the San Di ...

(1966–67) * Terry Cornutt (1973–74) * John D'Acquisto (1972) *

Dick Dietz Richard Allen Dietz (September 18, 1941 – June 28, 2005) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1966 to 1973, most prominently as a member of the San Francisco Giants wher ...

(1960) *

Chili Davis Charles Theodore "Chili" Davis (born January 17, 1960) is a Jamaican-American former professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder and designated hitter from to for the San Francisco Giants (1981–1987), California Angels (1988–19 ...

(1979), *

Rob Deer Robert George Deer (born September 29, 1960) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. Early life Deer attended Canyon High School in Anaheim and Fresno City College. During his tenure with the Milwaukee Brewers, he worked for hi ...

(1981) * Mike Eden (1973) *

Ángel Escobar Ángel Rubén Escobar Rivas (born May 12, 1965) is a former Venezuelan shortstop and switch hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants in its 1988 season. Escobar hit .333 (1-for-3) with one run scored in three ...

(1985) *

Dick Estelle Richard Henry Estelle (born January 18, 1942) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who pitched for the San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants ...

(1961) * Bobby Etheridge (1965) *

Pete Falcone Peter Frank Falcone (born October 1, 1953) is an American former professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves. Early years As a senior at Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, ...

(1974) * Bob Farley (1958) *

Bob Fenwick Robert William Fenwick (29 September 1894 – 1973) was an English professional footballer who made 82 appearances in the Football League playing for Lincoln City and Notts County. He played as a centre half. Life and career Fenwick was born ...

(1968) * Ed Figueroa (1970–71) *

Ed Fitz Gerald Edward Raymond Fitz Gerald (May 21, 1924 – June 14, 2020) was an American professional baseball player and coach. A former catcher, he appeared in 807 games played in Major League Baseball over 12 seasons (–) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wa ...

(1965–66) * George Foster (1969) * Alan Fowlkes (1980) * Bill Frost (1966) * Frank Funk (1972–73) * Al Gallagher (1966) *

Dave Garcia David Garcia (September 15, 1920 – May 21, 2018) was an American coach, scout and manager in Major League Baseball who spent over 65 years in professional baseball. He served as manager of the California Angels (1977–78) and Cleveland Indian ...

(1967–68) * Gil Garrido (1960) *

Dan Gladden Clinton Daniel Gladden III (born July 7, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player and current radio broadcaster. An outfielder, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants (1983–1986), Minnesota Twins ( ...

(1979–80), *

Randy Gomez Randell Scott Gomez (born February 4, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher. He played in 14 games for the San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. Th ...

(1981) *

Ed Goodson James Edward Goodson (born January 25, 1948) is an American former first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball. He played from 1970 to 1977 for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers. In his one World Serie ...

(1970) *

Gene Green Raymond Eugene Green (born October 17, 1947) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for , serving for 13 terms. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district included most of eastern Houston, including portion ...

(1953) *

César Gutiérrez César Dario Gutiérrez oo-te-er'-rez(January 26, 1943 – January 22, 2005), also nicknamed "Cocoa", was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played as a shortstop in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants in the 1967 and ...

(1966) *

Don Hahn Donald Paul Hahn (born November 26, 1955) is an American film producer. He served as a producer for the Disney films '' Beauty and the Beast'' (1991, the first out of three animated films to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture) ...

(1968) * Ed Halicki (1973) *

Bill Hands William Alfred Hands, Jr. (May 6, 1940 – March 9, 2017) was an American professional baseball player who pitched in the major leagues from 1965 to 1975. His best season came in 1969 with the Chicago Cubs, when he won 20 games. Early life A ...

(1960) *

Alan Hargesheimer Alan Robert Hargesheimer (born November 21, 1954) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched in parts of four seasons between and for three different teams. Since his retirement, Hargesheimer has worked as a scout for sever ...

(1978) *

John Harrell John Robert Harrell (born November 27, 1947) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete ...

(1970), * Jim Ray Hart (1961) *

Charlie Hayes Charles Dewayne Hayes (born May 29, 1965) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and former coach for the FCL Phillies. Hayes played in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yanke ...

(1985) *

Dave Heaverlo David Wallace Heaverlo ( ;

(1973) *

Ken Henderson Kenneth Joseph Henderson (born June 15, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from through for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, ...

(1964) *

Ron Herbel Ronald Samuel Herbel (January 16, 1938 – January 20, 2000) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who appeared in 331 games, all but 79 in relief, for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. A right ...

(1958) * Gil Heredia (1987) *

Randy Hundley Cecil Randolph Hundley Jr. (born June 1, 1942) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, and the San Diego Padres. ...

(1961–62) * Larry Jackson (1952) *

Skip James Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James (June 9, 1902October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. AllMusic stated: "Coupling an oddball guitar tuning set against eerie, falsetto vocals, James' early recordings ...

(1972) * Jim Johnson (1967) *

John Henry Johnson John Henry Johnson (November 24, 1929 – June 3, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a fullback. His first stint was in Canada in the Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU, a forerunner league to today's Canadia ...

(1977) * Greg Johnson (1976) * Buddy Kerr (1960) *

Wendell Kim Wendell Kealohepauloe Kim (March 9, 1950 – February 15, 2015) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager who served as a coach for four Major League Baseball teams over the course of 15 seasons (1989–2000; 2002–04). A form ...

(player 1974, manager 1983-84-85) * Jim King (1951–52) *

Joe Kmak Joseph Robert Kmak (born May 3, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player who played catcher in Major League Baseball from 1993 to 1995. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. He stands tall and weighs . He bats an ...

(1986–87) *

Bob Knepper Robert Wesley Knepper (born May 25, 1954) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. From 1976 to 1990, he pitched 15 seasons for the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, earning two All-Star appearances as well as the 1981 NL Com ...

(1973–74) * Randy Kutcher (1981) * Coco Laboy (1959–60) *

Hal Lanier Harold Clifton Lanier (born July 4, 1942) is an American former infielder, coach and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Known as a brainy, defense-first player, he won National League Manager of the Year as a rookie manager for leading the ...

(1962) *

Mike Lee Michael Shumway Lee (born June 4, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Utah, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Lee became Utah's senior senator in 2019, whe ...

(1959) * Johnnie LeMaster (1974) *

Dennis Littlejohn Dennis Gerald Littlejohn (October 4, 1954) is an American former Major League Baseball player who played catcher from to . He would play for the San Francisco Giants. Littlejohn attended the University of Southern California The University ...

(1976) *

Greg Litton Jon Gregory Litton (born July 13, 1964) is a former infielder-outfielder in Major League Baseball drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 1st round (10th pick) of the amateur draft. He played for the San Francisco Giants (-), Seattle Mariner ...

(1985) *

Garry Maddox Garry Lee Maddox (born September 1, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and business entrepreneur. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a center fielder from to . Maddox began his career with the San Francisco Giants ...

(1968, 71) *

Jim Maloney James William Maloney (born June 2, 1940) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds (1960–1970) and California Angels (1971). One of the hardest-throwing pitchers of the 1 ...

(manager 1982) *

Gary Matthews Gary Nathaniel Matthews Sr. (born July 5, 1950), nicknamed "Sarge", is an American former professional baseball left fielder, who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). After his playing days, Matthews was a color commentator for Phil ...

(1970) *

Randy McCament Larry Randall McCament (born July 29, 1962) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. McCament attended Grand Canyon University. He was signed as a 15th-round pick in the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft by the San Francisco Giants. He was a s ...

(1986) * Mike McCormick (manager 1958–59) * John McNamara (1951) *

Greg Minton Gregory Brian Minton (born July 29, 1951), nicknamed "Moon Man", is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) right-handed pitcher who played for the California Angels and San Francisco Giants. Minton had a 16-year major league career, from ...

(1974), Randy Moffitt (1970) * Jose Morales (1965) *

Terry Mulholland Terence John Mulholland (born March 9, 1963) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. His Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned 20 seasons, and to . He threw left-handed and batted right-handed. Early life and education Mulhol ...

(1984) *

Masanori Murakami Masanori Murakami (村上雅則, ''Murakami Masanori'', born May 6, 1944), nicknamed "Mashi", is a Japanese former baseball pitcher. He is notable for being the first Japanese player to play for a Major League Baseball team. Sent over to the Un ...

(1964) *

Matt Nokes Matthew Dodge Nokes (born October 31, 1963) is an American former professional baseball catcher and designated hitter. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants (1985), the Detroit Tigers (1986–1990), New York ...

(1983) *

Tom O'Malley Thomas Patrick O'Malley (born December 25, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball player born in Orange, New Jersey, and raised in Montoursville, Pennsylvania in the United States. He played for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Whit ...

(1980) * Steve Ontiveros (1971) *

Phil Ouellette Philip Roland Ouellette (born November 10, 1959) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in 10 games for the San Francisco Giants of the Major League Baseball (MLB) in . Ouellette was originally signed by the Giants as an ...

(1983) *

Casey Parsons Casey Robert Parsons (born April 14, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played parts of four seasons in the majors, between and , for the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, and Cleveland Indians. In four seasons, he playe ...

(1976) *

Gil Patterson Gilbert Thomas Patterson (born September 5, 1955) is an American Minor League pitching coordinator and former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Yankees in its 1977 season. Listed at 6' 1", 185 lb., Patterson batted ...

(1982) * Tony Perezchica (1986) * Cap Peterson (1960) * Mike Phillips (1970) *

Skip Pitlock Lee Patrick Thomas "Skip" Pitlock (born November 6, 1947) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. A left-hander noted for his unusual wind-up, he had a "herky-jerky" motion which deceived major league batters, and led to 124 career ...

(1969) * Ed Plank (1974–75) * Willie Prall (1972) * John Pregenzer (1961) * Miguel Puente (1968) * Luis Quintana (1973) * John Rabb (1980) * Dave Rader (1967–68) * Jeff Ransom (1978–79) * Jessie Reid (1981-82-85) *

Rip Repulski Eldon John "Rip" Repulski (October 4, 1928 – February 10, 1993) was an American professional baseball player, an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals (1953–56), Philadelphia Phillies (1957–58), Los Angeles Dodgers ...

(1948) * Bob Reynolds (1966) * Jeff Robinson (1983) * Jimmy Rosario (1966) * Rafael Robles (1968) *

Minnie Rojas Minervino Alejandro "Minnie" Rojas Landin (November 26, 1933 – March 23, 2002) was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed relief pitcher for the California Angels from to after many s ...

(1961) * Mike Rowland (1975) * Vic Roznovsky (1960) *

Tom Runnells Thomas William Runnells (born April 17, 1955) is an American former infielder, coach and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Biography Runnells attended the University of Northern Colorado and originally signed with the San Francisco Giants ...

(1978) *

Gary Ryerson Gary Lawrence Ryerson (born June 17, 1948) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. Ryerson was drafted in the thirteenth round of the 1966 Major League Baseball draft by the San Francisco Giants. In 1971, Ryerson was traded along w ...

(1967–68) * Roger Samuels (1987) *

Mackey Sasser Mack Daniel Sasser (born August 3, 1962), nicknamed "The Hacker", is an American former professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 through 1995 for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets and S ...

(1984–85) *

Wally Shannon Walter Charles Shannon (January 23, 1933 – February 8, 1992) was an American professional baseball player, a second baseman and shortstop who appeared in parts of two seasons for the –1960 St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball. Born i ...

(1952) *

Elías Sosa Elías Sosa Martínez (born June 10, 1950) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He was signed by the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB) as an amateur free agent on March 4, 1968, and played for the Giants (1972– ...

(1970–71) *

Horace Speed Horace Speed (January 25, 1852 – December 28, 1924) was an Oklahoma American pioneer, pioneer and the first United States District Attorney for Oklahoma Territory. Speed was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, and was a prominent Lawyer, at ...

(1971) * Steve Stanicek (1982–83) * Steve Stone (1969) *

Joe Strain Joseph Allan Strain (born April 30, 1954) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs. Strain currently resides in the home rule municip ...

(1977) * Steve Stroughter (1973–75) * Guy Sularz (1975–76) * Russ Swan (1987) * Shin-Ming Tan (1974) * Stu Tate (1985) * Bob Taylor (1964) *

Robby Thompson Robert Randall Thompson (born May 10, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (1986–1996) as the second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. During the Giants ...

(1983–84) *

Tommy Toms Thomas Howard Toms (born October 15, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He was a relief pitcher who played from through in Major League Baseball. Listed at , , Toms batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Charlottes ...

(1973) *

Héctor Torres Héctor Epitacio Torres Marroquin (born September 16, 1945) is a Mexican former Major League Baseball shortstop. Nicknamed "La Malita" in his native Mexico, he played all or parts of nine seasons in the majors, between and , with the Houston A ...

(1963–64) * Frenchy Uhalt (1949) *

Reggie Walton Reggie Barnett Walton (born February 8, 1949) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He is a former presiding judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Early li ...

(1974) *

Bill Werle William George Werle (December 21, 1920 – November 27, 2010) was an American left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher from Oakland, California. He pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox from 1949 to 1954. H ...

(manager 1963–64, 69–70) *

Bernie Williams Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. (born September 13, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player and current musician. He played his entire 16-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees from 1991 through ...

(1968) * Frank Williams (1980–81) * Jim Willoughby (1968–69) * Neil Wilson (1958) * Alan Wirth (1976) The 1988 Fresno Suns players who played in the major leagues. * Ralph Citarella * Julio Cruz *

Dwayne Murphy Dwayne Keith Murphy (born March 18, 1955) is an American former professional baseball player who spent most of his career playing for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder. During much of his time in Oakland, Murp ...

Mike Richardt Michael Anthony Richardt (born May 24, 1958) is an American former Major League Baseball second baseman. He played all or part of four seasons in the majors, between and , mostly for the Texas Rangers. He also played in 16 games for the Housto ...

Andy Rincon Andrew John Rincon (March 5, 1959 – August 28, 2023) was a former Major League Baseball pitcher from Monterey Park, California. A multi-sport athlete in high school, Rincon was a two-time All-CIF baseball player and was the 1977 CIF Southern S ...

Terry Whitfield Terry Bertland Whitfield (born January 12, 1953) is an American former Major League Baseball player. As an outfielder, Whitfield was known more for his batting than his defense, finishing with a career .281 batting average in 1,913 at bats in th ...

Individual awards

Fresno players and coaches who received California League or significant Major League Baseball awards.

California League Awards

''Most Valuable Player:'' 1946

Tommy Glaviano Thomas Giatano Glaviano (October 26, 1923 – January 19, 2004) was an American professional baseball third baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. He appeared in 389 big league g ...

, 1952 Larry Jackson, 1958 O'Neil Wilson, 1964 Ollie Brown, 1972

, 1974 Gary Alexander, 1986 Ty Dabney ''Pitcher of the Year:'' 1985 Charlie Corbell ''Rookie of the Year:'' 1949 John Romonosky, 1956 Nelson Chittum, 1964

, 1974 Jack Clark, 1986 Ty Dabney ''Manager of the Year:'' 1955 Roland LeBlanc, 1956 Ed Lyons, 1964

, 1968

, 1974 John Van Ornum, 1980

Jack Mull Jack Leroy Mull (born September 29, 1943) is a former minor league baseball catcher, a major league coach, and minor league manager, and is currently a minor league coach. Career Mull began his pro career with the Quincy Cubs in 1969 and played ...

, 1985

Major League Baseball Awards

''National League

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

:'' George Foster, 1977 Cincinnati Reds ''

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances. It is awarded at each fieldin ...

Winners:''

, Chicago Cubs 1967,

, San Francisco 1973–74,

, Philadelphia 1975-76-77-78-79-80-81-82, Dwayne Murphy, Oakland 1980-81-82-83-84-85,

, San Francisco 1991,

, San Francisco 1993 ''

Rolaids Relief Man Award The Rolaids Relief Man Award was an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given from 1976 to 2012 to the top relief pitchers of the regular season, one in the American League (AL) and one in the National League (NL). Relief pitchers enter th ...

:''

, Cincinnati 1996 ''

Roberto Clemente Award The Roberto Clemente Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) baseball positions, player who "best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community#Psychology, community involvement and the individual's contribution to ...

:''

, Philadelphia 1986 ''

Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award In Major League Baseball, the Rookie of the Year Award is given annually to two outstanding rookie players, one each for the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL), as voted on by the Baseball Writers' Associatio ...

:''

, San Francisco 1973 ''

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...

:'' George Foster, Cincinnati 1981, Jack Clark, St. Louis 1985 & 1987,

, Detroit 1987,

, San Francisco 1989 & 1991,

, San Francisco 1993 ''National League

Manager of the Year Manager of the Year may refer to: * Major League Baseball Manager of the Year Award * League Managers Association Awards#LMA Manager of the Year, League Managers Association Manager of the Year * Premier League Manager of the Season {{disambiguati ...

:''

, 1986 Houston Astros

San Francisco Giants Wall of Famers

Former Fresno Giants in bold.

Yearly Records

References

Notes Sources
Team # 79—1955 FRESNO CARDINALS (104–43)
The Top 100 Minor League Teams: Team # 79–1955 Fresno Cardinals, by Bill Weiss & Marshall Wright, Baseball Historians
Baseball Reference

California League official website

San Francisco Giants Radio Announcers from SF Giants official website
{{refend Defunct California League teams Sports clubs and teams in Fresno, California San Francisco Giants minor league affiliates St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates Professional baseball teams in California Baseball teams established in 1941 Baseball teams disestablished in 1988 Defunct baseball teams in California Baseball in Fresno, California 1941 establishments in California 1988 disestablishments in California