2017 Preview: 30 Giant Seasons, A New California League
By Joe Ritzo
Happy New Year, Giants fans! Another exciting season of San Jose Giants baseball is quickly approaching with opening night just a little over three months away. 2017 is a significant milestone year for the franchise, as it will mark the 30th season as an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. It’s also the 75th anniversary of our home ballpark, Municipal Stadium.
The San Jose Giants will enter the 2017 campaign having qualified for the playoffs a remarkable 12 times in the last 13 seasons (2004–13, 2015–16). Over the course of the 29-year affiliation with the San Francisco Giants, San Jose has posted a winning record 24 times and claimed six California League championships (most recently with back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010). 190 former San Jose Giants have reached the major leagues during the 29-year run with 136 of those having played in San Francisco.
The 2017 San Jose Giants will feature a new manager as 2016 skipper Lipso Nava has been named hitting coach of the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels. Nava spent the last four seasons in San Jose serving as the hitting coach from 2013–15 before last year’s stint as manager. Look for an announcement of the 2017 coaching staff in the coming days.
This year will also mark a major change to the California League. The Bakersfield Blaze and High Desert Mavericks franchises ceased operations at the end of the 2016 season and subsequently moved to the Carolina League. The result is the California League will be an eight-team league going forward.
With Bakersfield and High Desert in opposite divisions, no realignment was necessary for the 2017 season. San Jose will continue to play in the North Division matching up with rivals Stockton, Modesto and Visalia. The four-team South Division features Inland Empire, Lake Elsinore, Lancaster and Rancho Cucamonga.
With two fewer teams in the league, a new playoff format has been created. The California League has announced that four teams (instead of six previously) will make the playoffs — the First Half winner of each division and the Second Half winner of each division. If the same team wins both halves, the club with the second-best overall record in the division receives the other playoff berth.
The new postseason format has eliminated the best-of-three Mini Series. The playoffs will now begin with two best-of-five Division Series’ which will be played from Wednesday, September 6 through Sunday, September 10 (if necessary) this year. Following a scheduled off day on Monday, September 11, the two Division Series winners will face off in a best-of-five Championship Series beginning on Tuesday, September 12. Home field advantage (hosting games three through five) will continue to be determined on a rotating basis. The North Division owns home field advantage in the 2017 Championship Series before it flips to the South Division in 2018.
For a more detailed explanation of the new California League playoff format, including tiebreaking procedures and a full schedule, visit the Cal League website.
There are also two affiliation changes in the California League this season. The Colorado Rockies have switched affiliates from Modesto to Lancaster. Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners, previously partnered with now-defunct Bakersfield, have signed on with Modesto. The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros no longer have affiliates in the California League with the two franchises shifting their Class-A advanced teams to the Carolina League.
2017 Affiliations
North Division
San Jose Giants — San Francisco Giants
Modesto Nuts — Seattle Mariners
Stockton Ports — Oakland Athletics
Visalia Rawhide — Arizona Diamondbacks
South Division
Inland Empire 66ers — Los Angeles Angels
Lake Elsinore Storm — San Diego Padres
Lancaster JetHawks — Colorado Rockies
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes — Los Angeles Dodgers
Be sure to visit sjgiants.com and the Inside the San Jose Giants blog in the coming weeks and months for all of the latest team news. Information on a fun-filled 2017 promotional schedule and other exciting events at the ballpark are forthcoming. The blog will feature detailed season previews, including projections on which top prospects may play for the SJ Giants in 2017. A brand new season of the Inside the San Jose Giants podcast is also on tap.
Only 92 days until the 2017 San Jose Giants season opener! The 30th season of San Jose Giants baseball begins on April 6 at Inland Empire. And be sure to mark your calendars for opening night at Municipal Stadium on Thursday, April 13!
