The San Jose Bears were a minor league baseball team that played at Luna Park in San Jose, California from 1913 to 1915. The Bears replaced the Prune Pickers as the minor league team for the city.
1913 Bears
The 1913 Bears were not a great team, finishing the season in last place of the California League. Manager/player Judge Nagle and league-leading hitter Happy Smith (.323) were not enough to escape the cellar. Smith went on to briefly play for the Brooklyn Superbas (Dodgers) in 1910, batting .237 in 35 games. He soon found himself back in the Bay Area.
1913 Statistics
Avg – .323, Happy Smith
Hits – 133, Harry Harper and Happy Smith
Runs – no records
Wins – 18, Ashley Pope
1914 Bears
Under new manager Mike Steffani and with a shortened season the Bears finished in second place with a record of 20-16. The Bears played in the California State League, then a four-team outfit including Stockton, Fresno and Modesto.
1914 Statistics
Avg – .321, Happy Smith
Hits – 42, Happy Smith
Runs – 22, Happy Smith
Stolen Bases – 16, Louis Goldenson
Wins – 8, Harry Stewart
Strikeouts – 56, Harry Stewart
1915 Bears
In what must have been a season cut short, the Bears only played in five games, winning four of them. Mike Steffani managed the team in the California State League.
While a series of amateur and industry-affiliated teams formed up and played, the Bears were the last official minor league team to play in San Jose until 1942 when the San Jose Owls played one season before World War 2 put a pause on professional baseball.