Santa Cruz Sand Crabs

The Santa Cruz Sand Crabs, based in Santa Cruz, California, brought professional baseball to the beach, competing in the California League circuits of 1899 (as the Beachcombers) and 1908-09 (as the Sand Crabs), with ballgrounds sitting near the waterfront where coastal winds off Monterey Bay played havoc with fly balls. Both names were pure Santa Cruz, evoking the boardwalk-and-bathhouse seaside culture that was already drawing tourists to the city by the 1890s.

The club's best sale came early: outfielder Mike Donlin was purchased from Santa Cruz by the St. Louis Perfectos for $500 in 1899. "Turkey Mike" went on to hit .333 across a major league career and become one of the era's most famous personalities, splitting his time between the New York Giants and the Broadway stage. The 1908 club gave a start to Frank Arellanes, the Santa Cruz-area native who began that season with the Sand Crabs before moving on to San Jose and then the Boston Red Sox, where he led the American League in saves in 1909.

The Sand Crabs' final edition was their best, running up a 62-36 record in 1909 before the club disbanded midway through the season's second half as the outlaw California League collapsed around it. Santa Cruz also holds a proud adjacent place in baseball history as the home region of Hall of Famer Harry Hooper, who grew up on the local sandlots before his 1907 professional debut just up the road with Alameda.