Redwood Pioneers

California League (1980-1985)

Background

The Redwood Pioneers were a minor league baseball outfit based in the small planned community of Rohnert Park, California (pop. 22,965 in 1980).

The California League club arrived from Santa Clara in 1980. Original team owner Thomas Leonard signed a 10-year lease with Rohnert Park civic officials which included an “initials clause”.  The clause stated that the team must use the initials “R-P” in its name for the term of the lease. Thus the name Redwood Pioneers stood as a rather confounding and indirect tribute to the ball club’s host community of Rohnert Park. Even the team’s future Major League parent club found the identity confusing. In 1985, after four years of sponsoring the Pioneers, Angels officials were still mailing packages to their farm club addressed to the entirely separate community of Redwood City, California, 80 miles to the south.¹Rupprecht, Rich. “In 1986, just call them the Rohnert Park Angels.” The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA). June 19, 1985

The Pioneers played their first season in 1980 at Rohnert Park’s middle school baseball diamond. The team also had no Major League parent club during that first summer, operating as a dreaded “co-op” team, accepting low priority prospects from a handful of Major League organizations. The 1980 Pioneers finished with the worst record (55-85) in the 9-team California League.

The Angels Years

1981 marked a step forward for the Pioneers on two fronts. The team left the local junior high school field for the newly opened Rohnert Park Stadium. And it landed a proper Major League player development contract with the California Angels.

Over the next several summers the Pioneers would help to develop a handful of future Angels regulars who contributed to California’s 1986 American League West division championship team. These included:

• Pitcher Ron Romanick (Pioneers ’81)
• Shortstop Dick Schofield (Pioneers ’82)
• Pitcher Kirk McCaskill (Pioneers ’83)

The Pioneer who went on to the greatest Major League success was outfielder Devon White (Pioneers ’84). White played only sparingly for the 1986 Angels as a rookie, but went on to become a 3-time World Series champion and 7-time Gold Glove award winner during his 17-year Major League career.

Infielder Mark McLemore (Pioneers ’84) was last active Redwood player in professional baseball, playing his final game with the Oakland A’s in 2004.

Demise & Aftermath

The Pioneers cycled through several ownership groups during their six years of operation, all of whom struggled with Rohnert Park’s small market size and the icy winds that often chilled the small crowds huddled inside Rohnert Park Stadium.

In November 1985, the team changed hands for the third time in less than three years. The new owner moved the club south to Palm Springs.

Pro baseball returned a decade later with the arrival of the Sonoma County Crushers of the independent Western League. The Crushers stayed for eight years, playing at Rohnert Park Stadium from 1995 until 2002.

Rohnert Park Stadium was demolished in 2005.

Trivia

Third baseman Jack Howell (Pioneers ’84) would go on to win the Most Valuable Player award for the Japanese Central League with the Yakult Swallows n 1992.

Redwood Pioneers Shop

Links

California League Media Guides

California League Programs

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