San Bernardino Stampede

The San Bernardino Stampede, based in San Bernardino, California, played in the California League from 1996 through 2002, a rebrand that arrived together with a brand-new ballpark nicknamed The Ranch. The Stampede name and the western theme fit the new stadium hand in glove, and the ballpark, later renamed San Manuel Stadium, still hosts California League baseball today.

The Stampede era opened with a Hall of Famer at third base: 17-year-old Adrián Beltré played 63 games for the 1996 club, hitting 10 home runs on his way to 3,166 major league hits and Cooperstown. Future big league mainstays Ted Lilly and Rafael Furcal followed through in the late 1990s, and the club peaked with back-to-back California League championships in 1999 and 2000.

After the 2002 season the franchise rebranded once more, becoming the Inland Empire 66ers in a nod to Route 66, which runs through the heart of San Bernardino. The Stampede name lasted just seven seasons, but they were among the most successful in the city's long baseball history.