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Baseball is one of the best sports out there for all age groups, and in the United States, it has a different level of popularity. And if baseball is so popular in the USA, it would have some national or state-level teams that would be competing against each other for awards, tournaments, or titles. Well, the question of today is whether California, the second largest state in the USA, can have how many teams. Usually, a state has one or two state-level teams, but not in the case of California. It has more than four teams playing for them. Let us know ‘How many MLB Teams are there in California?’.
How many MLB teams are there in California?
California is the second largest state in the USA, and its geographical status also has a huge population residing within its borders. California has a very large number of professional teams in baseball. The count is 15+. However, there are only five major teams who compete against other states and who represent California in most of the tournaments and challenges, which are:
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Francisco Giants
- The Los Angeles Angels
- Oakland athletics
- San Diego Padres
Let us look in detail at these teams:
A team is known for its players and the awards they have won. The performances that they have shown in their various matches
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
- History
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a very interesting history because there have been moments when a new team was added to the team and their manager’s performance added a very beneficial point to the point. This team has produced some of the most famous and best players in baseball. If we look back at the time of the late 50s, then we can see this team as the leading and aggressive team that was dominating the game in every sense, claiming three world series in a small period. Then, in the late ’80s, the team saw some new energy as there were new players admitted to the team. They helped the Dodgers team get their hands on 2 more championship titles.
- Achievements
Established in 1883, this team is glorious for California and most of America, not because they are one of the best teams. But they have won the world series seven times. For people who do not know what the significance of the world series is for a state or team. Well, it is a lifetime achievement to claim it 7 times with their outstanding performance and good team formation. Apart from the world series, they have also won 24 national leagues and brought 12 titles.
After that period, the Dodgers team did not see any major victories, and it came as a downfall for the team, but the team rose again in 2021, claiming the world series. If we look at the team from its history till today, there have been times it has been down, but it rose again and proved why they are the best team.
2. San Francisco Giants
- History
The next in the line-up is the San Francisco Giants, one of the most popular teams in California. This team was initially started before 1958 but was relocated to California in the year 1958, so most people do not know its exact history. This team was formed in the year 1883 and has been known for hosting and having some of the best players in baseball.
San Francisco Giants: this name has a history as well, dating back to their first few years in the game in 1883. Their performance was outstanding and they became famous and gained popularity in a very short period, so people started referring to them as the giants, and this is how they got their name.
- Achievements:
They have won many titles and awards based on their wins, in which they have won 5 world series titles and many championships and tournaments. The team has been known for various things, among which the most discussed thing is their home ground, on which they have practiced their matches. The ground has some slightly different dimensions from other grounds.
This team has been known for hosting some very famous names in the history of baseball, and the reason behind that is that most of the players joined the team for a term of 5 years, after which they left for another team, and that is also the biggest reason behind this team’s fluctuations in performance over 50 years.
3. Los Angeles Angels
- History
The next on the list is a team that joined the California baseball teams list in the year 1961. Before that, they were not recognized as a state-level team. They had been known to many of the people back at that time but joined formally in 1961. In their long career, they have been one of the good teams in California. They did not win many awards.
- Achievements
They won the World Series title in the year 2002, and that is the only time in baseball history they won that award. They have won national-level awards and state-level championships and have been one of the best competitors during a match because they have maintained the same flow of their game for decades. As this team was known for various players who had played with them, one such player who joined this team and, despite having many setbacks such as injury and bad performance during the course with the Los Angeles Angels, brought many victories to this team and had been MVP during many of the matches, was Trout. Many other players have added value and boosted the team’s performance.
4. Oakland Athletics
This team also has a very big and good name in the history of baseball, and the team also has a very good fan following in California.
- History:
This team has a history of more than 100 years. Founded in the year 1901, this team stands as motivation and a dream for many young players of this era. The team was founded in Philadelphia and the year 1968 it moved to California, where it presently plays. California has given this team a new identity and a fan base that this team had never seen before.
- Performance:
As far as the performance and overall career of this team are concerned, it has been one of the most successful teams in baseball, winning three world series back-to-back and creating a history in the field of baseball. Their unique design, which consists of green and yellow, resembles power when they enter the game. They were one of the most successful and very dominating players in the 70s. However, after that, they have not won any major games or tournaments, but they have maintained their good name by winning most of the home matches and national-level matches. This team has been known for being some of the most extraordinary players in baseball.
5. San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are last on the list of majorly recognized teams in California. This team, despite not having any major victories in their name, has a good name in baseball and one of the reasons behind this is their performance in small-level tournaments and state-level games, where in some seasons they have performed their best and won many awards for such performance.
- History:
This team was founded in 1936 by an old San Diego former player, and they spent the next four years training and not playing any major games. After four years of home matches, they advanced to national and international level competitions.
- Performance
As far as their performance is concerned, they have not won any world series. They have been in many matches which competed for the world series title but did not reach the final matches. In the national level leagues and tournaments, they have won five times, and apart from that, they have won some state-level tournaments and small-level games. They have not seen many victories in their careers. They do have some famous players who have contributed to bringing the name it has with their good performances, but overall, it is not a very successful team in baseball.
Other minor teams:
In California, there are 5 major playing teams, but they also have minor-level teams which are trying hard to get on the list of major teams. Among the minor teams, some have very good performances, and some are very new teams that cannot be placed among major teams. While some are old but do not have a good track record, meaning they are not constant in their baseball career, either they perform well in some matches or they just do worse in some of the matches. So, they are not on the major team list.
Eight minor-level teams in California compete against each other and outside of California in small-level matches, and they are:
- Fresno Grizzlies
- Inland Empire 66ers
- Storm in Lake Elsinore
- Modesto Nuts
- Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
- The Giants of San Jose
- Stockton Ports
- Visalia Rawhide
Apart from the minor teams, they have some independent teams which are not considered in the list because they are small-level teams and only play in home matches.
Can there be more major teams in California?
One question which can strike many of the readers is if they have so many minor teams and some major teams’ performances are not up to the mark, can there be some new teams added to the major list or existing teams drawn out?
As MLB said in some of last year’s interviews, they were planning to add a team to the major team list and were ready to hold a tournament and some survey in which all minor teams could take place and compete against each other.
But according to recent interactions with California MLB, they stated that they are not planning for any add-ons to the team list shortly. Also to be added is that Oakland teams have been rumored to be shifting to New York in recent years.
Conclusion
California is one of the largest states in America and the largest state that has some benefits as well as some things that are different from other states. California has five major league baseball teams, which is unusual. There have recently been rumors that MLB intends to add more teams. However, with recent updates, no such things are being planned by the MLB. Oakland is planning to move to the new York team in the coming future.
FAQ
Q1: Why does California have so many major baseball teams?
ANS: California is one of the largest states, with a population double or even triple that of most states, that is the reason behind the state having 5 major and many minor teams. Also, the population of this state can handle more than 3-4 teams as with their population size all can have the same number of fans.