The Santa Clara Padres were a

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team in the

Class A-Short Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (crea ...

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 ...

, based in

Santa Clara, California Santa Clara ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "Clare of Assisi, Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities and towns i ...

. 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 Kirk ...

History

The history of the Santa Clara Padres is entangled with the

San Jose Missions The San Jose Missions were a minor league baseball team located in San Jose, California. The Missions played from 1977 to 1978 as members of the AAA Pacific Coast League. The Missions name returned in 1979 under a new franchise that played in the ...

. San Jose was without a team after the franchise playing as the AAA

was sold and relocated to Ogden, Utah following the 1978 season. 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 The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

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 Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

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

Oakland A’s The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

and

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

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 Rohnert Park is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located approximately north of San Francisco. The population at the 2020 United States census was 44,390. It is an early planned city and is the sister city of Hashimoto in ...

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 in ...

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

Notable players

Joe Maddon Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager (baseball), manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). After playing ...

Ron Tingley Ronald Irvin Tingley (born May 27, 1959) is an American former professional baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 10th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft. Career 1979-1984 He s ...

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 Sports in Santa Clara, California Sports clubs and teams in Santa Clara County, California San Diego Padres minor league affiliates